Shawn Westerfeld (89) on the outside with Andy Feil (08) in the middle and Adam Strausser (40x) on the inside.

Bob McMillin (5) fends off the challenge of Rick Holley (86).

Cooper Clouse (14c) stalks Carmen Perigo (21).

2017
BOSS Heat Race Sponsors

Heat #1

Heat #2

Heat #3

Heat #4

Heat
#5

2017
Buckeye Machine BOSS Bonus Award Sponsors

The Bridge Restaurant "Hard Charger" Award

"Steel Block" Award

"Preserverance" Award

"Hard Luck" Award

Lucky Pill Draw Award

Turnback Tuesday Sponsor

2018 BOSS Non Wing Sprint Car Schedule Release

With the 2018 season just weeks away, the staff of the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming tour. The last 7 seasons have seen steady growth with every new season. This year will be no exception. The last true outlaws of auto racing will once again battle on the hallowed grounds of several of the midwest's best dirt ovals. Every year, races have been held in Ohio, Indiana and Pennsylvania. This year, the tour returns to West Virginia for one event and ventures into the Bluegrass State of Kentucky for the first time ever.

Things will get underway one weekend earlier with the season opener slated for Saturday, April 14th at Atomic Speedway just south of Chillicothe. The inaugural BOSS event was held there in 2011 and it now serves as the annual lid lifter on each new season. The month of May finds the series making stops at 2 of the longest continually active tracks with BOSS, May 5th at Fremont Speedway and May 19th at Lawrenceburg Speedway just across the Ohio River.

The first venture into Kentucky comes on Saturday, May 26th when the stars and cars of BOSS tackle Ponderosa Speedway's tricky D-shaped 1/3 mile red clay oval. This event will serve as a tune-up for the end of the season when the championship is decided on the same track with 2 complete shows October 12th and 13th. The May event is planned to be a doubleheader weekend as well, however, no contract has been signed and 2 different tracks are negotiating for that event. Watch for details on that Sunday show to be added in the coming weeks.

The month of June finds a return to Limaland Motorsports Park on June 8th with Montpelier Motor Speedway the next night. A week later, the tour heads back to the "Track That Action Built", Fremont Speedway, for the second event of the season on June 16. After a weekend off, the doubleheader weekend of Lernerville Speedway (June 29) and Tyler County Speedway (June 30) wraps up the month. BOSS last raced at Tyler County in 2015. This is the most prestigious facility in West Virginia and features events like the Mega 100 and the Hillbilly 100 for the dirt late models.

July starts off with a return to Route 44 Speedway near Liberty, Indiana on Friday, July 6th and the next night will be the annual Dick Spencer Memorial at Waynesfield Raceway Park on July 7th. A few weeks later, the tour will make its annual stop at the Monster Half Mile - Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on July 28th.

The month of August really heats up and the purses get bigger! Friday, August 3rd will be the "Open Wheel Classic" at Atomic Speedway for $2,000 to win followed the next night by the "Jack Hewitt Classic" at Waynesfield paying $3,000 to win. The very next weekend, the teams will roll into Mansfield Motor Speedway for the 2nd annual "Great Lakes Nationals" paying $5,000 to win on Saturday night. This will be a 2 day show with preliminary heat races running on Friday BUT with increased heat race payouts and a very good Saturday payday!

The month of August gets even better at the end. Kokomo Speedway and the United States Auto Club extended an invitation to make BOSS a part of the most anticipated non wing sprint car event, the Kokomo "Sprint Car Smackdown". Saturday, August 25th is the final night of the 4 day event, and BOSS will sanction its own program with heat races, a B-Main and standard 25 lap A-Main event.

As September rolls around, the 2018 tour will be winding down. Once again, the tour will make the trek to Montpelier Motor Speedway for a September 8th event. The season will wrap up with a 2 day showdown in Kentucky at Ponderosa Speedway. No driver or team will have a "home track advantage" and the BOSS tour drivers will be able to decide the championship on the race track. The Friday, October 12th event will be the standard BOSS purse but Saturday's finale will pay $2,000 to win and $300 to start.

For the first time since its inception, the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series does not have a title sponsor entering 2018. However, the standard main event purse will remain unchanged and heat race payouts and bonus awards will remain as well. The standard BOSS A-Main pays: 1500, 900, 700, 600, 500, 450, 400, 375, 350, 325, 300, 290, 280, 270, 260 and $250 to start.

Heat races will once again pay $100 among the top four finishers (40, 30, 20, 10). Bonus awards of $50 will also be paid for "Hard Charger", "Hard Luck", "Lukcy Pill Draw", "Perseverance Award" and others!

In addition, the 2018 championship points chase payout also remains the same as the last few years at $3,000 plus contingencies to the champion. Once again, the top 15 in season points will be rewarded at the banquet and during the season. The Top 15 in current points will earn $300 to start the main events and $150 B-Main tow money minimums at every event.

The complete season championship points payout will be $3000, 1500, 1200, 1000, 900, 800, 700, 600, 550, 500, 400, 350, 300, 250, 200. Teams will also see an increase in contingency awards at the year ending awards ceremony.

The BOSS program and philosophy it was founded upon have not changed. This is still an open tire series with the general rule that any wingless sprint car is allowed to compete. There is no engine limit and no weight rule. However, BOSS does take safety into serious consideration. Teams and drivers are responsible for their own safety equipment. BOSS will provide the safest race tracks possible along with adequate fire and rescue personnel. Tracks are required to carry premium insurance on all competitors to get a race date. But individual driver safety equipment is in the hands of the teams. BOSS, reserves the right to inspect cars and equipment for safety and also reserves the right to prohibit teams from competing if the cars are deemed unsafe.

We look forward to seeing everyone very soon and we wish everyone a safe and successful season. If you need more information on the series, you can phone 740-703-3768 or e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com

The 2018 Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series schedule is rapidly coming together and will be released in a matter of days. However, some news is too good to put off until then.

We are pleased to announce that the BOSS stars and cars will join the USAC National Sprint Car tour at Kokomo Speedway in August for the 7th running of the prestigious "Sprint Car Smackdown".

The event will once again feature 4 nights of racing. However, the BOSS show will take place during the Saturday final night on August 25th. Drivers must choose at sign in whether they want to run the BOSS program OR run for the Smackdown finale. Many more details will be released in the coming weeks!

Please check out the attached USAC press release which has more details!

The highly-acclaimed event’s finale concludes four-straight nights of USAC AMSOIL Sprint Car National Championship action on August 22-23-24-25, but will now feature the addition of the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS), who joins the stage on Saturday at Kokomo.

As has been the case in recent years, “Smackdown” weekend begins with #GYATK Night, a USAC-sanctioned, non-points, special event on Wednesday night, Aug. 22.The following two nights will be set for two complete full-points-paying USAC National Sprint Car events on Thursday and Friday, Aug. 23-24. “Smackdown” concludes Saturday night, Aug. 25 with USAC’s $10,000-to-win finale.

BOSS Sprints now join USAC on Saturday night with their own, separate full-points show paying $1500-to-win. Drivers eligible to compete in the BOSS portion of the event on Saturday are those who have not made a start in any of the previous six Saturday night “Smackdown” features between 2012 and 2017.

Drivers may only compete in either the USAC program or BOSS program, not both, on Saturday night. However, drivers may choose to compete Thursday and Friday with USAC and elect to compete again with either USAC or BOSS on Saturday.

“This is going to be an awesome event,” BOSS owner and promoter Aaron Fry exclaimed. “I’m anxious to see what the fans say. We are fans of the sport, so to be involved in the Smackdown is exciting. It will give our teams a chance to race on a big stage at a premier track, and fans coming from all over will get a chance to watch our teams in action.”

“We have seen the Smackdown grow in popularity over time, and last year’s race was one of the best nights we’ve ever seen,” said Kokomo Speedway track owner Reece O’Connor. “We feel this is a way to make the weekend even better for the fans, and invites a different group of racers to our facility. Hopefully, we just jack the whole week up another notch.”

The Saturday night “Smackdown” finale has produced four different winners throughout its first six years. Bryan Clauson won the inaugural running back in 2012. The USAC National Sprint Cars’ winningest driver, Dave Darland, reeled off a streak of three consecutive wins between 2013 and 2015. Kevin Thomas, Jr. dominated the 2016 edition while Tyler Courtney was victorious in one of the most spectacular races of the 2017 season.

BOSS Banquet Slated for November 11th

The 2017 Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour is now in the record books. Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana became the second driver to repeat as a series champion, backing up his inaugural 2012 title. Smith piloted the Dom's Gulf #77 and gave team owner Lou Gagliardi his first ever BOSS title. The formidable duo garnered 3 wins in the 16 completed events.

The championship team and the rest of the top 15 in season long points will be honored on Saturday, November 11th during the season end awards banquet. Once again, series sponsor Kent Wolters will host the night at The Bridge Restaurant in Sidney, Ohio. Doors will open at 6 pm with dinner served at 7 and awards beginning at 8 pm. The Bridge is located at 127 West Poplar Street, Sidney, Ohio 45365.

As always, the banquet is open to the public as well and race fans are welcome to attend. Tickets for adults are $25 with kids 12 and under just $10. Please make checks payable to BOSS and mail to 2177 Lunbeck Road ; Chillicothe, OH 45601. Once pre-paid, your name will be on the pass list at the door.

The official host hotel will be the Hampton Inn just across I-75. Be sure to ask for the BOSS racer's rate of $99 per night. Phone 937-498-8888 to make a reservation. The Hampton Inn is located at 1600 Hampton Ct, Sidney, OH 45365.

T-Mez Hensel Winner BOSS at Fremont

Todd RidgewayBOSS MediaSeptember 30, 2017

FREMONT (OH) – The 18 race grind that made up the 2017 season for the Rick’s Trucks & Equipment BOSS Series came to a close last Saturday night at Fremont (OH) Speedway with the 5th Annual Mike Hensel Memorial 33 lap event for the non-winged warriors. It was the series second stop at Fremont of the season as Thomas Meseraull delivered from the Pole position. The California native dominated on his way to collecting the $5,000 winner check by leading all 33 laps.

“It was a pretty awesome night,” said T-Mez. “We drew the pole, which I knew that was going to be good because we had one of the fastest cars all night. Just real excited to pick up the win here for Stan Courtad tonight,” noted Meseraull.Meseraull and Drew Radar brought the field to the start only to see Cooper Clouse sail into turn one upside down forcing a red flag followed by a complete restart. That restart would make it to lap five as Meseraull was on a mission as was both Tim Buckwalter and Matt Westfall moving into the top three when the second yellow flew. Very brief and back to green until lap eight when the yellow turned red as Tyler Gunn flipped down the front stretch. Cleaned up and back at it they went, as Meseraull went to work as Buckwalter at the top and Westfall at the bottom switched places lap after lap. By the half it was still the same except now Shane Cottle had moved into fourth in a battle of second, third, and fourth ensued. It would stay that way until a very late race yellow at lap 29 dropped for a stopped car on track. Just as Buckwalter, Westfall, and Cottle would gain track position now for the run to the end, Meseraull accepted clean air for the run to the finish and that is just the way the finished with Dallas Hewitt finishing fifth to round out the top five.

I have led almost the whole race this year, and then have a restart and give it away. You just do not know when you are out front, you are just kind of running where you think you need to. We raced the wing car earlier in the year and didn’t get the finishes it probably should have, so it is good to get a win here for Stan. The non-wing car is my expertise. The wing experience has paid off, racing here with the wing and all the speed, then taking it off really makes a difference. I told myself on that late yellow, “You have not got this won yet, get your ass up on the wheel and get after it.” And it worked out for us,” finished Meseraull.

“Man, first time ever setting in a Sprint Car, hats off to this team,” said Buckwalter. “We tested this car a little last night at a little micro track back home in Pennsylvania. We just shook it down a little to make sure the motor was running alright before we came all the way over here, we will see how it goes next year on the USAC tour. I got the top rolling good out there, I just did not get up there soon enough. This is a bad ass bullring, a cool track, it gets real slick in the straightaways and great curves at the ends. I like this BOSS series when a guy and just put together what he has and come racing. It is good to see these days when things cost so much. The open tire rule really helps,” finished Buckwalter. “We needed this run tonight, we have been struggling all year,” said Westfall. “It just seems like with BOSS and these open tires we have the car figured out, but with USAC and the medium tires we been out to lunch. The track was tough tonight, it was hard to pass. I had second and then faded there at the end. I had second position cleared but then when we went into the next corner I missed my mark and he got back by me. I knew Buckwalter would be good, his first time in a Sprint Car, he races small block modifieds and he is pretty good,” finished Westfall.

The curtain will come down on the 2017 edition of the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour this Saturday night September 30th. However, unlike in years past, the 2017 season will end with the most prestigious event on the calendar, the 5th running of the Mike Hensel Memorial at Fremont Speedway, located at the scenic Sandusky County Fairgrounds. The best of Ohio's non wing sprint car drivers will battle for 33 laps for the $5,000 top prize. The race will guarantee $330 to start the main event. The significance of the "33" is in honor of the number that adorned Hensel's sprint cars in the 70's.

The championship battle has been one of the most competitive in history. It is now down to two drivers heading into the final event. Dustin Smith holds a 66 point lead over Michael Fischesser. Smith needs a 15th place or better finish in the main event to lock up his second BOSS championship and first for car owner Lou Gagliardi. However, Fischesser has been charging hard late in the season and is knocking on the door looking for his first tour win and a possible upset in the championship chase.

Early season points leader and 2 time winner on the season, Justin Owen, holds down the third spot. A grinding crash at Lawrenceburg in late July were detrimental to his title run. Chad Wilson of Toledo sits in the 4th spot, quietly having a very consistent season. Steve Little of Waynesfield, Ohio is in the 5th position, having the best season of his young career.

Battles are closely being fought for several positions in the balance of the top 15. Paul Dues and Aaron Middaugh are 6th and 7th with Matt Cooley making a late season climb up to the 8th spot. Cody Gardner, a crash victim at Atomic back in August, holds the 9th spot with Joe Butera rounding out the top 10.

The rest of the top 16 includes Riley VanHise, Bob McMillin, Andy Feil, Carmen Perigo, Buddy Lowther and Curtis Muhlenkamp. Perigo will not be in action this weekend after suffering serious injuries in a Pennsylvania crash 2 weeks ago. However, a host of other Ohio and Michigan based drivers are expected to form another stellar Hensel Memorial field.

Pit gates will open at 4 pm Saturday with racing action getting underway at 7 pm. Adult general admission is $18 with seniors $16 and kids 11-16 just $12. Kids 10 and under are free of charge. All pit passes will be $35. For teams competing with BOSS on Saturday, fuel is available at the track. There are no membership or entry fees. Mufflers are NOT required for this event. We will be group qualifying in hot laps as we have done with all higher purse events. We will be using the Yellow transponders and rental fee will be $5 at pill draw.

For any other information or inquiries, please e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone the BOSS series at 740-703-3768.

As always, we wish to thank the following great sponsors who make the BOSS tour possible.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Meseraull Masters Montpelier Monster BOSS Field

The Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint car tour made a triumphant return to the Montpelier Motor Speedway in Montpelier, Indiana Saturday night. Last season's annual event fell victim to mother nature. The much anticipated return found forty-six sprint cars signing in for battle on the very well prepared quarter mile dirt oval.

The cars were divided into five heat races of 8 laps with the top 4 transferring to the 25 lap main event. Thomas Meseraull, Isaac Chapple, Dustin Smith, Shane Cottle and J.J. Hughes claimed heat race wins. Twin B-Main wins were picked up by Ty Tilton and Michael Fischesser. The top 2 drivers from each heat race redrew for starting positions and rookie driver Gage Etgen drew the pole with Meseraull starting from the second position.

At the drop of the green flag, Etgen rocketed to a quick early lead and showed the way for the first 3 circuits on the dust free, historic bullring. However, action would slow for the first of 3 interruptions when Dustin Ingle looped his mount.

On the restart, second running Thomas Meseraull made his move on the race leader in turns 1 and 2 and became the race's official leader on lap 4. Another early yellow would fly for a spin on the seventh circuit for Todd Keen. Back under green, Meseraull continued to show the way but 7th starting Shane Cottle was on the prowl in the Hazen 57 getting to the runner-up spot and starting to apply pressure on the leader. Ninth starting Justin Grant in the McGhee 17 was also on the move chasing down the lead pair.

The night's only red flag came on lap 18 when J.J. Hughes spun after contact with another car. Hard running Steve Irwin from Fenton, Michigan had nowhere to go, clipped the disabled Hughes 76, launching the Irwin Flying Zero into a vicious series of barrell rolls in turn 4. Thankfully he emerged unhurt.

The final 7 circuits featured some incredible racing back through the pack as Matt Westfall advanced 10 spots, Drew Rader advanced 11 positions and Cooper Clouse earned the "Hard Charger" award advancing 12 spots with a 20th to 8th place run.

However, up front, Meseraull would turn back all challengers in the former SST Motorsports number 41 wrenched by Dave Stensland. Cottle, the 2015 event winner, had to settle for second with Grant third. Isaac Chapple and Tyler Hewitt completed the top 5. Rounding out the top 10 were Westfall, Lee Underwood, Clouse, Dustin Smith and Gage Etgen.

The BOSS series wishes to extend a big thank you to the forty-six teams who made the trip to Montpelier making it the largest car count of the season thus far for the tour. Also, a sincere thank you to the many fans who braved the chilly night time temperatures. Finally, to the staff at Montpelier Motor Speedway, a thank you for the best racing surface the tour has had all season.

The final event of the 2017 BOSS championship chase will take place Saturday, September 30th at Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio. This will be the always exciting 33 lap - $5,000 to win "Mike Hensel Memorial". This event annually draws nearly 50 entries and promoter Rich Farmer always gives BOSS a well prepared race track. We hope to see you all there to bring the curtain down for the season.

The 2016 Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series event at the Montpelier Motor Speedway fell victim to race day rain; however, the 2015 and 2014 races brought another standing room only crowds and an outstanding field of 40+ 410 Non-Wing Sprint Cars to the Montpelier Motor Speedway. The 2017 rendition being contested on Saturday, September 9th, should prove to be just as exciting with the Montpelier Motor Speedway, located in East Central Indiana, serving as one of the few select tour stops to an Indiana track for the Ohio based series. The series has brought 40+ cars to the Indiana/Ohio clash on each of their stops.

Kokomo, Indiana driver, Shane Cottle, picked up the feature victory for car owner Paul Hazen sweeping the non wing sprint competition at MMS. However, Cottle from the 6th starting spot had his work cut out from him. Indiana driver, JT Stapp, led the first 7 laps with Cottle briefly grabbing the lead from Stapp. Cottle was able to lead 5 laps before eventual 2015 BOSS Series Champion, Shawn Westerfield flexed his muscle overhauling Cottle on the top side in Turn 4. Westerfield maintained the lead before Cottle was able to repass Westerfield in the later stages for the top spot. 2015 USAC Silver Crown Champion Kody Swanson (Kingsburg, California) finished 2nd, while Ione, California’s Justin Grant finished 3rd (from 9th), Jon Stanbrough (from 7th), and Westerfield rounded out the top 5. Dallas Hewitt was the hard charger for the race.

The BOSS series is a non-wing 410 Sprint Car series that competes in true “Outlaw” style with the absence of tire rules allowing any brand or compound of tire to compete along with a no entry fee policy for competitors. The BOSS series, through sponsorship, pays “heat race money” to the top finishers in each heat race and also provides a number of contingency and cash awards to competitors at the conclusion of each event. The Montpelier Motor Speedway event will pay a healthy $1500 to Win and $250 to Start along with tow money and the aforementioned contingency awards.

The Montpelier Motor Speedway, which began racing in 1903 and hosted its first automobile race in 1915, is one of America’s oldest remaining racing facilities. While the east central Indiana Ľ mile clay oval has a historic past, the facility has seen many major modern upgrades the past four seasons including new restrooms and bleachers along with the addition of many safety features including a new catch fence and front stretch wall. The Montpelier Motor Speedway commonly competes weekly on Saturday Nights with its popular Modified and Stock Car divisions and is also the host to the popular Montpelier Motor Speedway Midget series.

CHILLICOTHE (OH) – Carmen Perigo would start on the pole and never look back to capture the $3000 payday at Atomic Speedway in Southern Ohio for the Rick's Trucks and Equipment - Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS) victory. A strong effort leading every lap, but the Pennsylvania native was under assault and pressure by both Dallas Hewitt and Michael Fischesser.A 25 lap contest Perigo would muscle to the lead in turn one with second row starter Hewitt right on his bumper, at times rubbing and pushing through turn one and two. The first yellow flew on lap five when a car slid off track in turn three coming to rest against the tire barrier. Back under racing conditions and Hewitt was there. Showing a wheel lap after lap Perigo kept Hewitt at bay as behind Matt Cooley and Fischesser were having a battle of their own. Fischesser would move into third as a yellow at lap 14 flew. Just what the doctor ordered for Fischesser as he could now close the gap and regain some much needed track position. Back to green, but short lived another yellow at lap 17 with no changes in the running order. This restarts, however, payed good for Fischesser as he was able to travel past Hewitt and put pressure on race long leader Perigo. The pressure went away when Perigo took the Rick’s Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour checkers. Hewitt would survive for third.“It was kind of tuff starting up front on this track, because I was not sure where to go,” stated Perigo. “I really paid attention to the winged feature earlier and looked to see where those guys were running and if the track took rubber. And it did, I think I ran in the rubber for 25 straight laps. Dallas Hewitt showed me the rubber started a little higher going into turn three when he got beside me. So, I decided to move up there and it worked out. The cautions came out at the right time because I was getting into lapped traffic and it was going to be tuff, everyone was running the same groove. This series is great, they really help out with all the special awards and such. You do not have to buy specific parts or anything, just get your car together and come race. This is great, it is a long haul over here, we put a lot of miles on this tow truck, but it is worth it,” finished Perigo.

“The car was really running good, hats off to the crew for giving me such a great car,” said Fischesser. “The track took rubber at the bottom late, up until then even at the top with rubber the track was racy. Hats off to this place, it does get dusty and slick but every time I have ever been here to race it is a really good race. It is just a fun place to run, the car was great all night long” finished Fischesser.“The track was slick, rubber here and there,” said Hewitt. “It just got worse as the feature went on, we had a shot at it. But, he just did not make enough mistakes for us to get around. Atomic is always fun to race at, I was hoping we could be banging off the fence tonight, but it is the same track for everybody so we will settle for third. Those restarts, I just could not get the run I needed or into the corner like I wanted with him right there in front of me. I just needed to kind of shake him up, If I could have got around I think I would have been alright, just couldn’t get the urn I needed,” finished Hewitt.

This Saturday, August 26th, the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour will continue the "month of money" with the third consecutive higher purse event. This will be the 3rd Annual Open Wheel Championships at Atomic Speedway which will pay $3,000 to win and $300 to start with an enhanced purse throughout the main event. Also on the card Saturday night will be the All Star Circuit of Champions winged sprint cars along with modifieds and 305 sprints.

The inaugural Open Wheel Championships were held in 2014 as an unsanctioned event and Rocklin, California driver Robert Ballou picked up the win in the Ray Marshall owned #33M. One year later, BOSS became the sanctioning body of the non wing portion and produced one of the most exciting finishes in auto racing history. The 25 lap main event ran caution free. On the final lap, 3 different drivers held the lead of the event, and all 3 came to the finish line in a 3 wide photo finish that saw Todd Kane edge out Landon Simon for the win, with the always exciting Dallas Hewitt tagging the wall and flipping down the front stretch finishing 3rd.

Now, after a one year hiatus, the Open Wheel Championship returns. Racing action will begin on Thursday night and continue Friday with BOSS coming in for the Saturday finale. Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana will lead the touring wingless drivers into battle. Smith is searching to become the tour's 2nd repeat champion, having won the title in 2012. However, Michael Fischesser has been on the move, steadily closing the gap on the points lead. Justin Owen, the spring winner at Atomic, has fallen to 3rd in points, but still within striking distance of the title.

For Thursday and Friday times and prices, please refer to the Atomic Speedway website at www.atomicspeedway.net On Saturday, pit gates will open at 3 pm with geneal admission gates at 4. Hot laps will get underway at 6 pm. Adult general admission is $25 with seniors and veterans $22. Kids ages 12 and under are free. Pit passes are $40 with kids pit passes (age 6-12) $20. Kids 5 and under are free in the pits.

For teams competing with BOSS on Saturday, fuel is available at the track. There are no membership or entry fees. Mufflers are NOT required for this event. We will be group qualifying in hot laps as we have done with all higher purse events. We will be using the Yellow transponders and rental fee will be $10 at pill draw.

For any other information or inquiries, please e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone the BOSS series at 740-703-3768.

As always, we wish to thank the following great sponsors who make the BOSS tour possible.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Cottle Claims Great Lakes Nationals / Smith Takes Make-Up Win

The largest event in the history of the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour is now in the history books and Shane Cottle, aboard the legendary Paul Hazen #57, claimed the win. The inaugural Great Lakes Dirt Nationals drew 140 entries among the 3 sprint car divisions. Thirty-eight BOSS traditional wingless sprint cars signed in for their part of Ohio's 2nd richest sprint car event of the year.

To kick the night off, a make-up A-Main event from a May 28th rain out found 20 of the original 22 starters back at Ohio's new premiere dirt facility.Andy Feil and Chad Wilson brought the field to the green flag with Wilson jumping to an early lead. Dustin Smith, the current points leader, quickly shot from his 3rd starting spot to take the lead and officially lead lap one with Wilson in tow. Pole sitter Feil was having his best run of the season hanging tough in the top 5 when a fuel nozzle line plugged damaging the engine in his DRC chassis.

Smith had set sail and had a commanding lead when a pair of nasty incidents brought out two late red flags. The first red flew when a multi-car tangle sent Steve Little up and over and Joe Butera into the inside retaining wall. The race was not back under green for long when Rick Holley and Kirk Jeffries got together entering turn 3 and executed a wild series of flips. All the drivers were uninjured.

Following the make-up event, the evening's regular program consisted of 4 heats lined up by group qualifying. Fast qualifiers among the groups were Shane Cottle, Landon Simon, Dave Darland and Jarett Andretti. The top 4 cars in each heat were inverted with the top 2 advancing to the redraw and top 4 to the main event. Heat winners were Cottle, Tyler Gunn, Dustin Smith and Dallas Hewitt. The fourth and final heat race saw Scotty Weir in the Jamie Miller / Fast Signs #6 take a wild barrell roll down the back stretch. Thankfully, he was okay!

A pair of twin B-Main events were taken by former series regular Bob Distel and the all time BOSS Ironman, Aaron Middaugh. With 24 cars locked into the main event, the redraw placed 3rd heat race runner-up Michael Fischesser on the pole with Cottle alongside. Dustin Smith and Tyler Gunn rolled off from the 2nd row with Cody Gardner and Dallas Hewitt in row 3 and Jarett Andretti and Cooper Clouse in the 4th row.

At the drop of the green flag, Cottle immediately took command with Fischesser and Smith battling early for the runner-up spot. The race's only stoppage occurred early on lap #4 when Cole Ketcham hooked the cushion and flipped in turn 3 and 4. He emerged unhurt.

The final 26 laps would run caution free with Cottle appearing to be in complete control of the field. However, Michael Fischesser was chasing his first tour win and also a tour championship and the Cincinnati hot shoe pulled alongside Cottle on multiple occasions. As the battle brewed at the point, a pair of USAC veterans, who started in the sixth row, were on the move with C.J. Leary up to 4th by lap 10 and Dave Darland also beginning to slice his way to the front.

As the laps wound down, Cottle caught the back of the field and had to work carefully while the determined Fischesser sailed the car deep into the corners reeling Cottle in on every corner. The checkered flag fell with a 0.473 margin of victory as Cottle held Fischesser off. Points leader Dustin Smith ran a steady 3rd place the entire event while Leary picked up the "Hard Charger" honors for his 12th to 4th run. Tour regular Cody Gardner completed the top 5. The balance of the top 10 were Cooper Clouse, Landon Simon, Dave Darland, Dallas Hewitt and Chad Wilson.

Next up for the BOSS tour is Atomic Speedway's "Open Wheel Championship" where the month of money continues for $3,000 to win on Saturday, August 26th. Watch for exciting details about that event. Racing will begin on Thursday night and continue on Friday and culminate Saturday when BOSS joins in on the fun.

The biggest event weekend in the 7 year history of the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour is set for this weekend. The first ever "Great Lakes Dirt Nationals" at Mansfield Motor Speedway was already a busy weekend with $2,000 to win for BOSS on Friday and $5,000 to win on Saturday. However, a May rained out event has left a make-up 25 lap feature that is now set to roll off first to kick off the Friday night action. This brings a total of 3 main events over a little more than 24 hours!

With a titanic 3 way battle for the championship looming, Dustin Smith will lead the tour into this important weekend. Justin Owen and Michael Fischesser are within striking distance of the lead in one main event. So with 3 main events on the line, this weekend could play a pivotal role in the outcome of the 2017 championship.

Friday's make-up feature from the May event finds Andy Feil and Chad Wilson on the front row. Smith and Fischesser will start from row 2 while Owen is set to roll off 8th in the 22 car main event. Following the make-up race, a complete new show will then take place for $2,000 to win using the standard BOSS format. Saturday's $5,000 to win finale will use a special qualifying format.

For teams competing at Mansfield, there is an optional practice day on Thursday evening. Pit passes for that day are $20. Friday pit passes are $35 and Saturday pit passes are $40. However, a 2 day pass is $70 and a 3 day pass is available for $85. Fuel and parts trailers will be at the track. No mufflers are required for this weekend. Transponder rental will be $5 per day. Teams racing through Saturday will get one check from BOSS after Saturday's racing action.

For fans, please refer to the Mansfield Motor Speedway website at www.mansfieldmotorspeedway.com for ticket information and advanced ticket discounts. Camping information is also available on the MMS site. Competing race teams may stay and camp in the pit area as long as the race rig is used. No additional campers will be allowed inside the pit area.

Area hotels are nearly full and BOSS has struggled to come up with a host hotel that offred a discount and had enough availability. Other area events have booked up most hotels. There are still rooms available under the BOSS name at the Quality Inn - phone 567-772-0083 and the BOSS rate is $172 plus tax. There are openings at other hotels in the $80 range including the Motel 6 on North Trimble Road at 419-529-2100 and the M-Star Hotel in downtown on 137 Park Avenue West phone: 419-522-5142. Please check the reviews on these hotels.

For any other information, please e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

Rader Captures Waynesfield Hewitt Classic Race

Todd RidgewayBOSS SeriesAugust 5, 2017

WAYNESFIELD (OH) – 30-year-old Findlay, Ohio native driver Drew Rader saved the best for late when he pulled up beside Hall of Famer Dave Darland coming off turn four and at the checkers Rader would win the 9th Annual Jack Hewitt Classic 25 lap feature race at Waynesfield (OH) Speedway by just an inch. Darland and Rader both started in the front row of the 24 car Rick's Trucks & Equipment - Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS) field, but as Darland showed the way setting a torrid pace, Rader would drop back to fourth before mounting his charge with but a handful of laps to go. “I did not know if I could do it or not, Dave is so tough,” said Rader. “He is so good, he makes it look easy, we got it done, this is awesome. This is only my second career win, so it has to be my biggest win ever,” noted Rader.

Darland would fire like out of a canon from the beginning and go straight out on point to show the way. Matt Westfall would follow Darland right up and drop in second with Rader dropping back to third from his Pole starting position. Just a handful of laps in and the only yellow of the night would fly when three of the races heavy hitters got waded up in turn one. Dallas Hewitt, Kody Swanson, and Shane Cottle all spun and came to a start. All would restart but at the tail of the field and would never be a factor to the outcome. Back green and Darland took off, soon into lapped traffic. Dustin Smith, Rader, and Kyle Simon would all get knotted up in a struggle for the top five as Westfall and Darland made way. Simon would move into third with Rader fourth as laps clicked off. Westfall would begin to falter and fall into the hands of Simon first and then Rader. As Rader passed Westfall he used that momentum and sailed by Simon into second position with Darland half a straightaway in front. Now five to go and Rader cut the deficit in half as he continued to carry the momentum and Darland stayed busy with heavy lap traffic. Three to go and Rader was there and at the white flag he pulled up beside the race long leader. On the return trip to turns three and four Rader grabbed the inside preferred line and coming off turn four pushed up enough that Darland had to take evasive action and at the checkers it was 0.015 separation of second and first. Simon would hang on for third Westfall rebounded to fourth and Scotty Weir rounded out the top five.“It kind of worked out to my advantage when he pulled out in front of us. I saw how he was getting through spots where I was making mistakes, so you might as well learn from the best. Once I stopped making those mistakes I got it going. Dave was getting through lapped traffic a little bit better than me so I just had to watch what he was doing and figure out how to be fast. I felt like I hit a really good groove coming off turn two every lap. As long as I could keep the car rotated with the nose down on the track I could really get on the throttle coming off the corner carrying it into three and then all the momentum through turn four. Dave was getting through lapped traffic a little better than me, so I just had to use that to my advantage,” finished the happy race winner.

“We were good early, the car was really good,” stated Darland. “The track started out with moisture but halfway through it slicked off. I was good in the middle of one and two and at the top of three and four, the race track just went away, and then the car went away at the end. Then we got into that heavy traffic there at the end, whatever that kids name is there at the end he did a hell of a job, I was sailing around there till I lost the track,” finished Darland.

“We were not very good the first couple laps, but when we got that yellow I could adjust the right rear shock a little and it got better,” said Simon. “I just went to the bottom and the car kept getting better every lap. Then with ten to go I realized I was catching them. Lapped traffic was an issue that late in the race. I can’t thank the team enough for this car tonight. Just lapped traffic became an issue when the track polished off,” finished Simon.43 BOSS Sprinters were on hand to fight for the 24 A-Main starting positions. The five heat race winners included Shane Cottle, Dallas Hewitt, Kody Swanson, Drew Rader, and Darland. The two B-Mains were nailed down by Tyler Hewitt and Dane Lorenc. Scotty Weir set Fast Time with a blistering lap of, 12.320.

The best points battle in the history of the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour is growing ever more intense. The battle is heating up just in time for the Jack Hewitt Classic at Waynesfield Raceway Park in Waynesfield, Ohio. This is the first time ever that the Classic, named in honor of one of sprint car racing's greatest ever, will be a fully sanctioned, point paying BOSS event.

Points leader Justin Owen encountered some mechanical failure at Lawrenceburg in the last event that led to heavy contact with the wall. Dustin Smith, the early season points leader, was able to close back up and sits tied with Owen for the lead right now. However, Michael Fischesser is a rapidly closing 3rd place and who fared the best in both events over the past weekend.

You also can't count out the rest of the top BOSS runners who still have an outside shot at the championship. Rounding out the top 5 are Chad Wilson and Steve Little. The rest of the top 10 is a dogfight for position with Paul Dues, Aaron Middaugh, Cody Gardner, Mike Miller and Matt Cooley battling hard every race!

The Waynesfield regulars will be locked and loaded to defend the home turf again. We expect names like Matt Westfall, Luke Hall, Dallas Hewitt, Dustin Ingle and many more. With $3,000 to win on the line, could it be an outsider who comes in to steal the money? Join us for a great night of action this Saturday night!

General admission gates will open at 5 with hot laps at 6 and racing at 7 pm. Adult general admission is $18 with kids ages 11-15 just $9 and kids 10 and under are free. For teams competing, pit gates will open at 4. Pit passes are $30. Transponder rental will be $10. Fuel is available at the track and NO MUFFLERS are required for this race. We will be qualifying against your heat race groups during hot laps.

For any more information, please e-mail sprinter14@hotmail.com or call 740-703-3768. As always, we thank our many generous sponsors, without whom this would not be possible.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Kinser Wins Soudrette Memorial at the Burg

Rarely do we see July race nights as pleasant as last night at Lawrenceburg Speedway for the Rick's Trucks and Equipment BOSS sprint cars. Perhaps it was divine intervention as the traveling series of drivers joined the Lawrenceburg Kelsey Chevrolet Sprint cars to honor the memory of Jason Soudrette in his 4th annual memorial event.

Soudrette was an Ohio native who ran weekly at Lawrenceburg and was one of the first drivers to commit to touring with BOSS when the series was founded in 2011. He was in both of the only 2 events held that season despite being diagnosed with leukemia. Jason still ran various BOSS events the following season as his health would allow. Sadly, we lost Jason to complications in his battle but his memory will live on with his favorite race track and favorite sanctioning body.

A stout field of 36 sprint cars signed in for the night's action. Four very exciting heat races were won by Scotty Weir, Shawn Westerfeld, Carmen Perigo and Drew Abel. The remaining cars were split into a pair of twin 10 lap B-Main events. Cole Kethcam charged from 9th to win the first B Main while Joss Moffatt won a very exciting B-Main #2.

Twenty-two of the bravest drivers in short track racing aligned for the 25 lap main event. The 4 wide salute to the fans was paced by the #44 car of John Soudrette Racing (Jason's father) and driven by Dickie Gaines. With more than a few tears in the crowd, the fans gave the drivers a hearty send-off.

Two time and defending BOSS champion, Shawn Westerfeld, paced the field to green with Jordan Kinser alongside. Starter Tim Montgomery turned the field loose with the green flag as Westerfeld and Kinser prepared for a titanic battle on the point. Kinser got the jump on the start but Westerfeld flexed his muscle early by blitzing back past Kinser and opening a short lead.

Just as the field began to spread out, working lap #4, Westerfeld caught the berm on the inside of turn 4. His car bicycled and came down awkwardly on the right front, pitching the car into a soft "tommy tipover". The rest of the field did a great job of missing him and there was enough damage that he was unable to continue.

Back under green, it was Jordan Kinser who had inherited the lead and opened up a quick lead as BOSS star Carmen Perigo from Stoystown, Pennsylvania was the closest car in pursuit. Fourth starting Logan Jarret closed up on Perigo and the pair ran side by side battling for most of the race. Perigo working the bottom to perfection while Jarrett was braving the high side.

A pair of 8th row car #44 starters were the men on the move. Fifteenth starting Dickie Ganies and 16th starting Michael Fischesser both stormed through the field with Fischesser edging Gaines for the "Hard Charger" award.

The race stayed clean and green over the last 21 laps with Kinser stretching his lead with a decisive victory. Jarrett was able to dispatch Perigo to 3rd and claim the runner-up spot. Drew Abel and Landon Simon completed the top 5. Rounding out the top 10 were Scotty Weir, Fischesser, Gaines, Dustin Smith and Garrett Abrams.

The BOSS series wishes to thank the fans for coming out to support the event and to Lawrenceburg Speedway and their staff for a great night of racing. Up next for BOSS is the "Jack Hewitt Classic" at Waynesfield Raceway Park this Saturday, August 5th paying $3,000 to win and $300 to start.

It had been three years since Liberty, Indiana heard the roar of the ferocious horsepower of a field of sprint cars. Last night, the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour brought the wicked machines to the newly renamed Route 44 Speedway for the first time ever under new promoter Shawn Crouch.

Like the 2014 event, the stands were filled to near capacity and an identical car count of 35 traditional sprints signed in for competition. The new staff at Route 44 provided and exceptional racing surface and the fans were treated to 4 stacked heat race events, a pair of 10 lap B-Main events and a great 22 car / 25 lap main event.

Heat races were won by Michael Fischesser, Dave Darland, Kyle Simon and Matt Westfall. The pair of B-Mains found 2014 tour champion Mike "The Magic Man" Miller and local favorite Brandon Whited picking up the wins. Following heat race action, the top 2 from each heat race redrew for starting spots in the main event. Aaron Middaugh of Polk, Ohio ran second in heat #1 and drew the pole position with Kyle Simon starting alongside. Eventual winner Shane Cottle would start from the 5th spot.

At the drop of starter Tim Montgomery's green flag, 22 drivers rocketed into the Union County night with images of victory lane on their mind. Middaugh, who is the only driver to enter every BOSS race in history, set out to lead lap number one. The first of 2 caution flag's flew with only one lap complete for a spinning car.

On the restart, the "People's Champ" Dave Darland flirted with disaster on the high side to sweep past Middaugh and lead lap #2. Fifth starting Shane Cottle was quickly into the runner-up spot and in pursuit. Just when it appeared that Darland had clear sailing, mechanical gremlins caught up with him in the Hery #40 and he coasted into the infield on lap 6 just as the race's second and final caution flew for another spinning car.

With 19 laps remaining, "The Throttle" Shane Cottle would bring the field back to green. The 20 cars remaining on the track ran the remainder of the race caution free with some wheel to wheels battles on the tight confines of Route 44 Speedway. Fans were treated with a display of drivers dancing on the ragged edge, wheeling through ruts with half the field on the wall and half the field doing the high speed ballet on the bottom.

Michael Fischesser, who sits 3rd in BOSS points, was the man on the move late. After starting 6th, it took him a few laps to get going, but he was the fastest car on the track in the closing laps. But Cottle worked traffic masterfully and managed, more than once, to use the Route 44 turn 4 wall like a cushion to propel down the track.

At the stripe, Cottle held off Fischesser's charge with Cole Ketcham running a great race to come home 3rd. Point leader Justin Owen finished 4th with Matt Westfall completing the top 5. The balance of the top 10 were Carmen Perigo, Dustin Smith, Aaron Middaugh, Chad Wilson and Garret Abrams who got the "Hard Charger" Award.

The series moves on the Lawrenceburg Speedway tonight for the "Jason Soudrette Memorial". We encourage fans to come out and support us in honoring one of the original BOSS drivers and one of the nicest drivers you could ever have hoped to know.

BOSS Prepares for Hoosier State Double

One of the most highly anticipated weekends of the year is upon us for the Rick's Trucks and Equipment BOSS sprint car tour. Friday night, the last true outlaws of the dirt tracks will make a return to Route 44 Speedway in Liberty, Indiana. The series last competed there in 2014 when Logan Hupp defeated Kevin Thomas Jr. in an epic slide job duel through traffic. On Saturday, the series will move on to the much anticipated Jason Soudrette Memorial event at Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

Fresh off his 3rd career BOSS win and second of the season, Justin Owen of Harrison, Ohio has taken over the points lead. Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana had a rough night at the last event and fell to second in the standings after leading most of the year. Michael Fischesser, Chad Wilson and Steve Little round out the top 5 in the current driver standings.

Both events are expected to draw large fields of cars. The BOSS event at Route 44 Speedway in 2014 drew 35 entries. The track was then known as Whitewater Valley Speedway. This May, BOSS had 41 cars in the pit area at Lawrenceburg Speedway when after the fifth heat race, mother nature decided to end the evening early. Officials anticipate similar fields at this weekend's events.

Saturday night's race at Lawrenceburg will be in honor of one of the first ever BOSS drivers who was also a regular competitor at Lawrenceburg. Jason Soudrette was in the very first BOSS event at Atomic Speedway in Ohio back in 2011. He ran various other events with the tour as he battled leukemia. Sadly, Jason passed away from complications but his father has kept the JSR #44 in competition and the car will once again be in the field this Saturday night.

At Route 44 Speedway on Friday night, pit gates will be open all day for teams traveling to the event. Hot laps will begin at 7 with racing promptly at 8 pm. Adult general admission is $15 with seniors and students admitted for $13. Kids ages 8-13 are just $8 while 7 and under is free of charge. All pit passes are $30. For team competing, there will be fuel available at the track and NO mufflers are required for this event. Pill draw will close at 6:45.

On Saturday at Lawrenceburg, again, the pit area will be open all day for the convenience of the teams. The pit area will be cleared at 3:45 and official pit gate opens at 4 pm.General admission gates open at 5 with hot laps at 6 and racing at 7 pm. Adult general admission is $17 with kids ages 7-12 just $7 while children 6 and under are free. All Pit passes are $30. For teams competing, there will be fuel at the track and mufflers ARE REQUIRED for this event. Pill draw will close at 5:45.

Both of this weekend's events are the standard BOSS purse of $1,500 to win with $250 to start the A-Main and $100 tow money to any team not starting the main event. For any further questions, please contact BOSS at sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

The official host hotel for the weekend is the Riverside Inn in Lawrenceburg conveniently located close to the track. Rooms are available for the teams and fans for $65 per night by asking for the "BOSS Racers Discount". Please call 812-537-4441 to make a reservation.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Owen Tames Waynesfield, Grabs Second BOSS Win of Season

photo credit J&T Photos

Coming into the evening at Waynesfield Raceway Park, Harrison, Ohio’s Justin Owen had one goal in mind which was to Win. That he did. Owen mastered the top side of a slick, tricky WRP curb and found his way to his second triumph of the season and his third career series win as a part of the 7th Annual Dick Spencer Memorial at the Waynesfield, Ohio 1/3 mile facility.

The 21 year old also knew coming into the one off weekend for the Rick’s Truck and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series that he had some work to do in hopes of claiming his first career Series Championship in this 2017 season. Starting 4th in American Racer/Lias Tire Heat 2 Owen powered to a 2nd place finish behind Paul Dues to begin his night. He would draw the 2 pill in the redraw and start outside Pole for the 25 Lap A-Main. Right away in the main event, Owen took the top side starting spot to his advantage and led all 25 laps and held off a yellow flag with 9 to go to claim his third series Victory. Owen came into the evening sitting 2nd in Series points 57 behind leader and 2012 Series Champion Dustin Smith.

Smith meanwhile started 11th and Finished 18th in the Feature event. Along with his 3rd place Heat finish, Smith scored 179 points in on track action tonight. Cincinnati, Ohio’s Michael Fischesser came into the evening 3rd in Series points and finished 1st in his heat race and made a late charge to finish 5th in the A-Main. With his finishes tonight, Fischesser grabbed 230 points towards his title fight. Steve Little, currently 5th in BOSS Points recorded his career best finish by putting his 53 machine into the 4th spot once the checkers flew.

Overall 33 Non Wing Sprints helped pack the pits and in the end it was a BOSS Regular Justin Owen stealing the thunder from the Waynesfield regulars.

The BOSS Sprints are back in action with a doubleheader in the Hoosier State July 28th at Route 44 Speedway in Liberty, Indiana on Friday night and then move on a night later to the legendary Lawrenceburg Speedway one evening later on July 29th for two great evenings of Sprint Car racing in Indiana.

With the 2017 tour at the halfway mark, the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour points chase is heating up. This weekend, the touring stars will face one of their toughest tasks. The always stout Waynesfield Raceway Park weekly drivers are poised to defend their home turf from the invading outlaws in the 7th annual Dick Spencer Memorial.

As always when BOSS and WRP join together, a very large field of cars is expected. Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana currently sits atop the BOSS standings with Justin Owen, Michael Fischesser, Chad Wilson and Steve Little rounding out the top 5. Luke Hall currently holds a slim lead over Dallas Hewitt in the Waynesfield standings and they will be tough to beat on their home track!

This is one event you do not want to miss. In addition to the BOSS traditional sprint cars, mini sprints, modifieds, compacts and trucks will all be in action. General admission is just $15 with kids ages 11-16 just $6 and kids 10 and under are free. Pit passes are $30. General admission gates will open at 4 pm with hot laps at 6 and racing at 7 pm.

For teams competing at WRP, pit gates will open at 3 pm. There are NO MUFFLERS required for this event. We will be using the yellow transponders and they are available to rent for $10. Fuel and parts will be available at the track.

The BOSS series wishes to thank all of our supporters who do so much to make this series possible. Especially the sponsors who help cover the heat race money, bonus money and tow money! We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Mike Miller Takes BOSS Victory At PPMS

Imperial, PA (July 1) Mike Miller earned the victory as the Rick’s Trucks and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series visited Pittsburgh’s Pennsylvania Motor Speedway on Saturday night. It was the landmark event number 100 at the track for the open sprint division since the first event in 1979.

A field of 24 entries were divided into three qualifying heats, that were won by Mike Miller, Carmen Perigo, and Dustin Smith. The top three finishers from each heat redrew for the top nine positions in the feature, with Joe Butera and Justin Owen receiving front row starting positions.

Owen took the lead at the green flag, leading over Butera, Matt Cooley, Paul Dues, and Miller. Working lap 1, Vince Daughery took a hard flip in turn two, as his car tumbled over the outside wall and out of the track.

When racing resumed, Owen took off in the lead and distanced himself from the field. Butera held second for a lap before Cooley passed him on lap 3. Seventh starting Carmen Perigo passed Butera for third on lap 5, and passed Cooley for second on lap 7. The large lead of Owen was wiped out by a Riley VanHise spin on lap 9.

Back to green, Miller passed Perigo for second and closed on Owen. He looked high on lap 11 and low on lap 12, but lost ground with his second attempt to pass. Smith got faster as the race progressed, as he passed Perigo for third on lap 15. Sixth running Cooley spun in turn four to bring out what would be the final caution period of the event.

On the single file restart, Miller moved to the high side entering turn one. Getting a good run off of the high side, Miller blasted around the outside of Owen to take the lead on lap 18. Owen and Smith swapped second on lap 20, but Smith made the pass the next time by to take second. Smith then closed in on Miller in the closing laps using the outside groove. But eighth starting Miller used the low groove to perfection over the closing laps to take the win over Smith. Early leader Owen rounded out the podium in third. Perigo was fourth, as Paul Dues ran a solid race for fifth. Butera, 14th starting Michael Fischesser, Chad Wilson, Gale Ruth, Jr., and Cody Gardner rounded out the top ten.

Having come so close in two previous chances at winning a Buckeye Ohio Sprint Series event at Lernerville in previous years, including two runner-up performances, AJ Flick seemed to be once again a favorite for a podium finish on Friday night. And from the start of the 25 lap main event, Flick was not only a front runner, but quickly put the field behind him in dominant fashion. The young Winged Sprint Car pilot put all but seven cars at least a lap down, looking like a driver who had been driving a Non-Winged car for years on end en route to his first career win in BOSS Series action.

Gale Ruth Jr. and Arnie Kent paced the 22 car field to the initial green flag, however not even a lap into the main event the red flag came out as Matt Cooley and Mike Miller found themselves both on their side in turns three and four. Both drivers were able to get out of their cars under their own power.

When action resumed, Ruth got out to the early lead running the bottom to middle grove with Flick putting pressure on him almost immediately, coming forward in relentless fashion from his sixth starting spot. Flick made his move for the lead just before the five lap mark, putting Ruth and the rest of the field behind him while the caution flag came out for a Riley VanHise spin in turn two.

Flick looked as if he'd been shot out of a cannon on the restart while behind him, Michael Fischesser began to challenge Ruth for second and Carmen Perigo surged forward from his seventh starting spot to take up the fourth position. Perigo managed to slide around both Fischesser and Ruth to take his place behind Flick who was running at a blistering pace out front. But behind all of the action at the front of the field, 2016 winner Justin Owen and BOSS Series points leader Dustin Smith were maneuvering through the field with relative ease and charging toward the front with precision and purpose.

Owen started 13 on the grid and Smith had to race his way into the program from the back of the bmain, starting from 19th position, and both looked as if they might find a way to hunt down Flick for the win as the laps wound down. Owen was able to make the most serious challenge as he slid Perigo for the second spot on lap 16.

Owen was in desperate need of a caution though as Flick did not lose one bit of momentum dealing with lapped traffic, putting the car where he needed to while making it look easy. Owen's wish was granted with 21 laps in the book when Joe Butera spun at the bottom of turn four.

"I had so much unfinished business here from last year and I wasn't going to be very happy with myself if I couldn't pull it off," Flick said in victory lane. "You just pretend you hear noises and drive the wheels off it, it's all you can do. I kind of have a little bit of an edge I think, to a degree, maybe not over the BOSS guys but I came from the street stocks and I more or less had to run it the same way that I did here. I went into turn one in hot laps and the thing just pushed like a truck, we changed the car a bunch. I made some real key moves in hot laps to get to the lead in the feature and I was just able to hold them off from there.

BOSS Wingless Sprint Heat 1:

1. (91X) Aaron Middaugh, Polk, OH

2. (18) Arnie Kent, New Castle, PA

3. (23JR) Jack Sodeman Jr., North Jackson, OH

4. (82) Mike Miller, Wapakoneta, OH

5. (76) Davey Jones, Baden, PA

6. (31L) Buddy Lowther, Cincinnati, OH

7. (91) Sadie Siegel, Saxonburg, PA

DNS (77) Dustin Smith, Russiaville, IN

DNS (51) Curtis Muhlenkamp, Minster, OH

BOSS Wingless Sprint Heat 2:

1. (40) George Hobaugh, Chircora, PA

2. (44) Michael Fichesser, Cincinnati, OH

3. (42) Ty Tilton, Lima, OH

4. (4J) Justin Owen, Harrison, OH

5. (8) Joe Sylvester, Camfield, OH

6. (5K) Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA

7. (66K) Ken Rossey, Strattanville, PA

8. (86) Rick Holley, Nelsonville, OH

BOSS Wingless Sprint Heat 3:

1. (5X) Gale Ruth Jr., Pleasantville

2. (2) AJ Flick, Apollo, PA

3. (9G) Cody Gardner, Monroe, OH

4. (14) Chad Wilson, Toledo, OH

5. (5) Bob McMillin, Wampum, pA

6. (1) Ryan Fredricks, Hillsville, PA

7. (4K) Bill Kiley, Cabot, PA

8. (27) Zach Morrow, Mars, PA

BOSS Wingless Sprint Heat 4:

1. (53) Steve Little, Waynesfield, OH

2. (21) Carmen Perigo, Sotystown

3. (96) Ryan VanHise, Covington, OH

4. (19) Matt Cooley, Greenville, OH

5. (12) Darin Gallagher, Butler, PA

6. (08) Andy Feil, New Castle, PA

7. (3) Joe Butera, Wampum, PA

DNS (87) Paul Dues, Minster, OH

BOSS Wingless Sprints B-Main:

1. (77) Dustin Smith, Russiaville, IN

2. (12) Darin Gallagher, Butler

3. (87) Paul Dues, Minster, OH

4. (08) Andy Feil, New Castle, PA

5. (3) Joe Butera, Wampum, PA

6. (8) Joe Sylvester, Camfield, OH

7. (86) Rick Holley, Nelsonville, OH

8. (5) Bob McMillin, Wampum, PA

9. (31L) Buddy Lowther, Cincinnati, OH

10. (5K) Jeremy Kornbau, Hermitage, PA

11. (4K) Bill Kiley, Cabot, PA

12. (1) Ryan Fredricks, Hillsville, PA

13. (91) Sadie Siegel, Saxonburg, PA

14. (51) Curtis Muhlenkamp, Minster, OH

15. (66K) Ken Rossey, Strattanville, PA

DNS (27) Zach Morrow, Mars, PA

BOSS Wingless Sprint Feature: (25 Laps)

1. (2) AJ Flick, Apollo, PA

2. (4J) Justin Owen, Harrison, OH

3. (21) Carmen Perigo, Sotystown

4. (44) Michael Fichesser, Cincinnati, OH

5. (23JR) Jack Sodeman Jr., North Jackson, OH

6. (91X) Aaron Middaugh, Polk, OH

7. (77) Dustin Smith, Russiaville, IN

8. (9G) Cody Gardner, Monroe, OH

9. (5X) Gale Ruth Jr., Pleasantville, PA

10. (12) Darin Gallagher, Butler, PA

11. (42) Ty Tilton, Lima, OH

12. (40) George Hobaugh, Chircora, PA

13. (18) Arnie Kent, New Castle, PA

14. (08) Andy Feil, New Castle, PA

15. (53) Steve Little, Waynesfield, OH

16. (14) Chad Wilson, Toledo, OH

17. (3) Joe Butera, Wampum, PA

18. (8) Joe Sylvester, Camfield, OH

19. (96) Ryan VanHise, Covington, OH

20. (87) Paul Dues, Minster, OH

21. (82) Mike Miller, Wapakoneta, OH

22. (19) Matt Cooley, Greenville, OH

BOSS Gears Up for Keystone Doubleheader

The Rick's Truck & Equipment BOSS tour prepares to head east this weekend for another doubleheader weekend. Friday night, June 30th, will find the last true outlaws of the dirt tracks competing on the historic Lernerville Speedway in Sarver, Pennsylvania. One night later, the stars and cars of the series will move on to the "Monster" Half Mile, Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway near Imperial.

It will be a Hoosier that will lead the Buckeye tour into the Keystone state. Russiaville, Indiana's Dustin Smith sits atop the point standings. However, the car owner and team are local to this weekend's events. Smith pilots the #77 Dom's Gulf entry owned by Pittsburgh native Lou Gagliardi and they were the winners of the 2016 BOSS race at PPMS. They will certainly be geared up for this big weekend in hopes of repeating that success and increasing their points lead.

Harrison, Ohio driver, Justin Owen, is currently second in points and already has a win on the tour this season. Owen scored his first career victory with BOSS one year ago at Lernerville in dramatic fashion charging from 3rd to first in the final 2 laps. Right behind Owen is Toledo, Ohio's Chad Wilson who sits 3rd and is quietly having the best year of his BOSS career. Wilson and 4th place Michael Fischesser, from Cincinnati, Ohio, are both knocking on the door of their first tour wins and both will be contenders this weekend. Rounding out the top 5 is another driver having his best BOSS season to date, Steve Little of Waynesfield, Ohio.

Rounding out the current top 10 are Aaron Middaugh from Polk, Ohio who sits sixth. Cody Gardner from Monroe, Ohio is in 7th place with Paul Dues of Minster, Ohio in 8th. Kirk Jeffries of Westerville, Ohio is a former winner at Pittsburgh and he sits 9th in the standings. Tied for the 10th spot are Wapakoneta's Mike Miller and Greenville's Matt Cooley. Other drivers expected to be on hand include Joe Butera, Riley VanHise, Bob McMillin, Buddy Lowther, Curtis Muhlenkamp, Carmen Perigo, Andy Feil, and Rick Holley. In all, there are 18 full time teams on the BOSS tour and many local teams are always brave enough to pull off the wings when BOSS rolls into PA!

Friday at Lernerville, the gates will open at 5 pm with hot laps scheduled for 6:30 and racing at 7:30. Pit passes will be $30 while adult general admission is $14. Seniors are just $10 while Kids ages 11-17 are $7 and 10 and under free.

Saturday at Pittsburgh, pit gates will be open all day for the BOSS travelers. General admission gates will open at 5 pm. Hot laps will be at 6 pm with racing at 7 pm. Pit passes are $40 with adult general admission $20. Seniors are $19 with kids ages 13-16 at $10, kids 6-12 are $5 and 5 and under are free. To offset the higher cost of the show, the PPMS event will pay $300 to start the A-Main with the BOSS full time teams on the tow money deal getting $325 to start.

For teams competing this weekend, NO MUFFLERS are required at either track. Transponders are being provided by Precise Racing of Sarver, PA. Please thank Brett Neupert of Precise for always taking care of us with free transponder help! Precise will have Hoosier tires and fuel for sale. He will be staying open late Friday so you can purchase your fuel for Saturday. Also, TCB Speed will be on hand with American Racer tires and to help with any other parts needs.

The official host hotel of the weekend is the Comfort Inn at 180 Gamma Drive in Pittsburgh. It is conveniently located right on 28 between the tracks with ample parking for race rigs. Please ask for the BOSS Racers Rate of $99 when you call in at 412-963-0600. Fans are also welcome to use the hotel discount.

The BOSS series wishes to thank all of our supporters who do so much to make this series possible. Especially the sponsors who help cover the heat race money, bonus money and tow money! We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Smith Takes BOSS All Time Win Lead at PRP

A very warm, late spring night greeted the stars and cars of the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint car series at Portsmouth Raceway Park Saturday night. A fantastic crowd packed in to see an action packed show with 5 divisions of racing and to see BOSS history made as Dustin Smith claimed his 7th career tour victory to move into the #1 position. He was driving the Lou Gagliardi, Dom's Gulf #77 and now holds a solid lead in the 2017 standings.

Twenty-one traditional sprint cars were represented among the more than 120 total race cars present. Three preliminary heat races were won by Kody Swanson, Dustin Smith and Steve Little who scored his first career tour heat race win. The top 3 finishers in each heat race were in a random redraw for the top 9 starting spots in the main event. Kingsburg, California driver Kody Swanson drew the #1 starting spot with Wampum, Pennsylvania's Joe Butera drawing the #2. Most likely the first time in the history of Portsmouth Raceway Park to have a California / Pennsylvania front row!

At the drop of starter Bob Smith's green flag, Swanson rocketed to a quick early lead. Third starting Justin Owen and 5th starting Dustin Smith were in hot pursuit early with Cody Gardner and Steve Little completing the early top 5. Smith quickly slipped past Owen working lap 3 and set sail for the lead and BOSS history. By lap #9, Smith was working the bottom to perfection and was able to slip by Swanson who was committed to the top of the race track.

The race appeared to be going to run caution free for the 2nd straight night as action stayed clean and green to the halfway point where it was Smith, Swanson, Owen, Little and now 9th starting Chad Wilson sneaking into the top 5. Working lap #16, Wilson was able to get by Little with a charging Michael Fischesser from his 11th starting spot now charging hard and about to get into the top 5.

Then, working lap #20, Curtis Muhlenkamp had something break on his car as he rounded the 3rd and 4th turns. In an attempt to get off the racing surface, Muhlenkamp pulled into the path of the charging Fischesser and the resulting tangle would eliminate both drivers and bring out the first of 2 cautions. Three laps later, the race's second caution flew for a minor incident involving Andy Feil, Buddy Lowther and Jay Dunaway with only Lowther unable to continue.

A two lap shootout found Smith too strong and holding on to claim his seventh BOSS win with Justin Owen slipping past Swanson for the runner-up spot. Chad Wilson and Steve Little completed the top 5. Aaron Middaugh, Matt Cooley, Paul Dues, Cody Gardner and Riley VanHise rounded out the top 10.

The BOSS teams now have a few weeks off. The tour returns to action with yet another doubleheader weekend on Friday, June 30th at Lernerville Speedway and Saturday, July 1st at Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway.Details will be announced early next week for those events.

Cottle cashes in, claims 3rd career BOSS Win

Limaland Motorsports Park welcomed the fans, drivers, and teams through the gates Friday night as the Keysor family honored their own with the 16th Annual Keysor Memorial. The Rick's Truck and Equipment B.O.S.S. Non Wing Sprints made their annual trek to Limaland with Shane Cottle picking up the win in Paul Hazen's No. 57. The Win for Cottle gives him his third career B.O.S.S. victory. He is now tied for 7th on the all-time Wins list.

A solid 37 Sprint cars filled the Lima, Ohio tracks pit area as night one of a doubleheader weekend for the BOSS Sprint machines. Fans were excited to see non-wing sprint car action hit the track again and did so with 5 Heat races and 2 B-Main events before the main event.

The Ricks Truck and Equipment BOSS Non Wing Sprint Cars for their 25 lap feature event would have 23 cars start the A Main, with the event going green to checkered. Shane Cottle would lead from wire to wire but felt a last lap charge from Tipp City, Ohio's Landon Simon in the Mt Baker Vapor No. 24. No. 23s Kyle Simon would be third, No 77 Dustin Smith finished 4th, and Toledo Ohio's Chad Wilson completed the top 5. Heat Races were won by No. 42 Ty Tilton, Cottle, No. 9N Luke Hall, Landon Simon, and No. 74 Drew Rader. B Mains were won by No. 69 Dallas Hewitt, and No. 21 Kody Swanson.

The BOSS Series next event is Saturday June 10th at Portsmouth Raceway Park.

Story: Lou Long

Photo: Carbone Motorsports Photography

(Mercer, PA May 27, 2017): Former ARDC Midget driver Trevor Kobylarz scored his career first Sprint Car victory with the Rick's Truck & Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series at Mercer Raceway Park. The Birdsboro, PA native made a classic slide job in turn one following a restart to take the lead away from Justin Owen, who fought back valiantly but was never able to make a pass back for the win. “It has been about five years since I’ve raced here, since driving a Midget. It’s a fun little place to get around. I had a lot of fun tonight.” Kobylarz thought that his prior Midget experience on the tricky oval did not help all that much. “The sprint cars are a lot different,” he said. Kobylarz was pleased that he was able to get this win in this, his first full season in a traditional Sprint Car. “We’ve done this on and off for the last couple of years, but this is the first time that we have the resources to do the whole B.O.S.S. deal.” Kobylarz and Owen paced the twenty car field to the green for the much anticipated B.O.S.S. tours race. Kirk Jeffires, Dustin Smith, Michael Fischesser, and Carmen Perigo, Jr. occupied the second and third rows. At the start, Kobylarz had the advantage, but Owens swooped by, bringing Jeffires and Smith along. While Owens and Kobylarz diced for the lead, Smith moved into third. Meanwhile, Brandon Spithaler charged into sixth from eighth on the grid. A caution slowed the pace for Smith's uncharacteristic mistake in turn three. He spun on his own while racing in third. On the ensuing restart, Kobylarz made the winning pass on the inside of turn one. Owens stayed close the rest of the way, though, and had several shots at the young Pennsylvania pilot in the final stages of the contest. Kobylars had a slim three car length lead wiped away by a caution on lap fifteen, for a synchronized spin by Dustin Stroup and Cody Gardner in turn four. Neither driver was hurt, but they could not continue in the race. Another caution quickly followed on lap 16, when Matt Cooley came to a halt on the frontstrectch due to a broken shock. Despite that, he did soldier on for a couple more laps before the ill effects took their toll. The racers clicked off five laps before the next stoppage, which may have come at an opportune moment for the leader. Kobylarz was under heavy attack from Owens and Fischesser, as the three leaders had separated themselves from the rest of the pack. Three laps later, Kirk Jeffries struck the second turn wall with great force, bringing out a red flag to check on his medical condition. Fortunately, he was not hurt, but the car did sustain major damage. At the time, Jeffires was racing in the top five. The racers were given an open red to ensure that they would have sufficient fuel to go the distance. The final three laps were run without any interruptions. Kobylarz held his line, while Owen searched high and low for a quicker way around. He couldn't find one, however. Fischesser followed in third. Fourth went to Steve Little, and fifth to Joey Biasi, who came on in the late stages of the race. Gale Ruth, Jr. was the highest finishing local driver, in sixth. He came from deep in the field to garner that spot. Perigo crossed in seventh, followed by Smith coming back from the tail, Spithaler, and Aaron Middaugh. Heat winners were Owens, Perigo, and Kobylarz. The B Main winner was Andy Feil.

One of the busiest weekends in all of motorsports is upon us. For BOSS, a new venture awaits on the busy weekend ahead. The series will be in action Saturday night at one of its oldest hosting venues, Mercer Raceway Park in Mercer, Pennsylvania. The tour has made an annual visit to Mercer dating back to the first full season in 2012. One night later, the last true outlaws of auto racing will make the trek back west for the inaugural visit to the Mansfield Motor Speedway in Mansfield, Ohio which was just converted back to a dirt track after nearly two decades as a paved oval.

Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana is the current points leader after 2 completed events and one rain out. Coming into the weekend, Smith is the only touring driver that already has a win at Mercer Raceway Park, which came during the 2014 visit. Other winners at Mercer with BOSS include current All Star driver Brandon Spithaler (2012 & 2013), Brandon Matus (2015) and Cooper Clouse one year ago. Smith will also lead a field of 18 full time touring stars as they battle to become the first BOSS winner at Mansfield Motor Speedway.

For Mercer Raceway Park on Saturday, pit gates will open at 4 pm with drivers meeting at 5:45 and hot laps immediately following. Adult general admission is just $15, with seniors over 60 admitted for $13 and students ages 9-15 are $7 while 8 and under are free. Also, a "family pass" is available for $32 which covers 2 adults and up to 4 kids of any age. For race teams, pit passes are $30 for all ages. Fuel WILL be available at the track and NO MUFFLERS are required for this event. Also, there will be no transponder rental fees courtesy of EJF Professional Race Scoring.

On Sunday, pit gates will open at 2 pm at Mansfield Motor Speedway. General admission gates will open at 4 pm. Pit passes will be $35 for this event. Once again, NO MUFFLERS will be required and no transponder fees courtesy of EJF Scoring. Fuel WILL be available to the track.

The official host hotel for the weekend is the Park Inn by Radisson located at 377 New Castle Road, West Middlesex, PA 16159. Be sure to ask for the BOSS Racer's Rate of $95 per night plus tax. There is ample parking for race rigs and security will be provided. Check-In time is 3 pm and check-out is 12 noon. To make a reservation, call 724-528-2501. Race fans making the trip to both events are also welcome to use the host hotel and ask for the BOSS rate!

Both of this weekend's events are the standard BOSS purse of $1,500 to win with $250 to start the A-Main and $100 tow money to any team not starting the main event. For any further questions, please contact BOSS at sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Lawrenceburg Speedway Up Next for BOSS

This Saturday night, May 20th, the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS tour visits the high banks of the historic Lawrenceburg Speedway for the first of two visits in 2017. Two events have already been completed with Justin Owen winning the opener at Atomic Speedway in April and Dustin Smith fresh off a win just days ago at Fremont Speedway. Smith, from Russiaville, Indiana holds a slim points lead over Pennsylvania driver Carmen Perigo and Cincinnati, Ohio driver Michael Fischesser.

Located at the Dearborn County Fairgrounds, the site first hosted auto racing in 1910 on the half mile track built for horse racing. Weekly racing on a purpose built quarter mile began in 1950. In 2008, the current 3/8 mile high banked configuration began hosting racing and the BOSS tour has made 2 stops every season dating back to 2012. The stars and cars of the tour look forward to leaving their mark on the long legacy of Lawrenceburg Speedway.

Along with the BOSS traditional sprint cars, UMP modifieds and hornets will fill out the racing card. Adult general admission is just $17 with kids ages 7-12 only $7 and children 6 and under are free. General admission gates will open at 5 pm with hot laps scheduled for 6 and racing at 7 pm.

For teams competing, pit gates are open all day. However, the pit area is cleared at 3:45 and official pit pass sales begin at 4 pm. Drivers meeting is at 5:20 with engine heat immediately following. Hot laps will begin at 6 pm with racing at 7 pm. Pit passes for all ages are $30. There will be no transponder rental fee courtesy of Lawrenceburg Speedway! As always, there are NO membership or entry fees of any kind and BOSS utilizes the open tire rule. Mufflers ARE REQUIRED for this event! Fuel will be available at the track.

For any further questions, please contact BOSS at sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, Ohi

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

Dustin Smith Claims Sixth Career BOSS Win at Fremont

Story By Brian Liskai

Photo By Ryan Kent JrFREMONT, Ohio – Russiaville, Indiana’s Dustin Smith held off a hard-charging Kody Swanson Saturday, May 13 to claim the Rick’s Truck & Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS) win at Fremont Speedway. After several second and third place finishes at “The Track That Action Built,” Smith led the final 22 laps for his first career victory at Fremont Speedway.

Smith, the 2012 BOSS champion, now has six career series wins to tie Thomas Meseraull atop the standings. Swanson challenged the last hand full of laps and had one last shot at Smith when the caution flew with just two laps remaining. Smith drove his Lou Gagliardi owned, Dom's Gulf, Awesome Signs and Shirts, Lynn Cook "a racer's friend", and Forman Sheet Metal backed #77 to the cushion and edged Swanson by a car length for the win on Fremont Federal Credit Union Night.

“They are all hard to earn…there’s no such thing as an easy win. I’ve run well here year after year but always keep coming in second or third. To finally get one…I’m so happy. I want to thank Lou…he’s not feeling well this weekend. We went to Eldora last night (Friday) and put it in the show but we wanted to come here and support BOSS. I like racing here…I’ve always done pretty well. It was a little treacherous getting into one there. I thought I really messed up on that last lap. I biked it pretty good. I had to cut down on Kody to block him but I had to do what I had to do,” Smith said.

“A lot of the BOSS drivers don’t get the recognition they deserve. We may not be the biggest funded teams but we put on a good show and we can compete with the big dogs here and there. Kody Swanton…what more can you ask for? A driver that wins the Silver Crown championship a couple of years ago and he was right there last year too. He’s a top notch driver,” added Smith.Carmen Perigo and Dustin Ingle brought the field to green for the 25-lap BOSS feature with Perigo jumping into the lead. After a lap was scored the caution flew for Brandon Spithaler with the running order Perigo, Ingle, Dustin Smith, Drew Rader and Luke Hall. On the restart Smith immediately began pressuring Ingle for second and when Perigo bobbled on lap four, Smith vaulted into the lead.

Smith began to pull away slightly as Ingle and Perigo battled for second while Hall and Shane Cottle closed. Hall drove into third on lap six as Smith continued to hold a comfortable lead. By lap nine Smith continued to lead but the battle for second was entertaining involving Perigo, Hall and Cottle. Cottle and Hall would tangle on the front stretch a lap later, ending the night for both.

Smith could not pull away on the restart and soon faced a challenge from Perigo, Rader and Kody Swanson. Swanton grabbed third on lap 12 and took second a lap later then quickly closed on Smith. Swanson got the break he needed with 10 laps to go when the caution flew. When the green reappeared Smith and Swanson raced side by side and nose to tail while Perigo, Rader, Chad Wilson, Ingle, Holley and Brian Smith (up from 18th) gave chase.

With four laps to go Swanson was knocking on the door to take the lead with Perigo, Wilson, Smith, Ingle and Michael Fischesser within striking distance. The caution flew with two laps to go with the running order Smith, Swanson, Rader, Perigo, Wilson and Brian Smith. Dustin Smith got a fantastic restart but Swanson hounded him to the white flag. Entering the final two turns, Swanson took a dive under Smith but the leader was too strong and took the victory. Perigo, Rader and Brian Smith rounded out the top five.

The Rick’s Truck and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series will return to action next Saturday, May 20th at the Lawrenceburg Speedway in Lawrenceburg, Indiana.

BOSS Heads To Fremont Saturday, May 13th

The Rick's Trucks & Equipment - Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series is slated to roll into "The Track That Action Built", Fremont Speedway, this Saturday night, May13th. Located at the scenic Sandusky County Fairgrounds, the wooden, covered grandstand is one of the most unique race viewing pleasures in the industry. As gracious hosts to the BOSS tour, a great car count is typical during the BOSS events there. This Saturday will be no exception

A great roster of 18 full time drivers committed to the 2017 campaign and all 18 made the journey to the season opener at Atomic where Harrison, Ohio's "The Juice" Justin Owen squeezed out a victory over his teammate Michael Fischesser in an epic duel on the high banks. Owen will carry an 11 point lead into round #2 of the 19 event season.

In addition to the touring stars, several Fremont Speedway local teams will be pulling their wings off to defend the home turf! The local drivers usually seem to have a good handle on the tricky Fremont Speedway making them tough to beat! Some other area sanctions and tracks are off for the weekend and several surprise entrants are also expected including a few cars from north of the U.S. border!

Joining the traveling BOSS outlaws for the evening will be the winged 305 sprint cars along with the dirt trucks and 602 crate late models.Gates will open at 4 pm with racing scheduled to begin at 7. Adult general admission is $14 with seniors admitted for $12. Children ages 11-16 are $8 while kids 10 and under are free.

For race teams, pit passes will be $30. Standard BOSS purse of $1,500 to win and $250 to start is in effect for this event. As always, the BOSS tour has no weight rule and an open tire rule. There are absolutely no membership or entry fees. Mufflers are NOT required for this event. Fuel is available at the track along with the TCB Speed parts trailer. Transponder rental will be $5 through the track. For any other questions, feel free to contact BOSS at sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

The Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series would not be possible without the help of the many fine sponsors listed below. Please take a moment to thank them. Their contributions are what helps keep all these wheels turning each and every Saturday night!

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Eqipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

CHILLICOTHE, OH—The Rick’s Truck and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series kicked off the season Saturday night April 22. Despite a damp and chilly night, 24 traditional sprint cars packed the pit area at Atomic Speedway. Justin Owen of Harrison, Ohio picked up his second career tour victory in a 25 lap feature event that was slowed by 3 cautions.

Kirk Jeffries and Justin Owen would pace the field to the initial green with Owen quickly asserting command. Despite facing challenge from several competitors including Cody Gardner, Dustin Smith and his front row starting mate Kirk Jeffries, Owen powered up and led all 25 laps.

It was an overall good night for the Fischesser-Owen Racing crew. Michael Fischesser, carrying the 44 in honor of the late Greg Stabb, started 16th and gave Owen everything he had on a tricky track that sent many towards the front of the pack to the high side of the 3/8th’s mile oval.

As Fischesser approached nearing the halfway point of the 25 lap feature, a caution flew for Lewisburg, Ohio’s Ryan Myers as his right rear gave away ending his night. Myers mustered a charge in his first 13 laps, rocketing from his eleventh starting spot to battling for a podium spot in third before his issues arose.

The second yellow of the evening flew on Lap 20 as Riley VanHise and Bryan Nuckles tangled in turn 3 bringing the field to a slow and bunching up the leaders. They would restart again with Owen holding his ground out front over teammate Michael Fischesser. The two couldn’t duke it out for long as another caution flag flew on Lap 22 for a spinning Aaron Middaugh in between turns one and two.

The final restart of the race on Lap 22 showcased non-wing traditional sprint car racing to its best. With just 3 laps to go, Cincinnati, Ohio driver Michael Fischesser gave it one last ditch effort in hopes of claiming his first BOSS win. Fischesser rode a lane below Owen on the top side of the speedway, trying to keep his momentum and slide his way to victory. Despite multiple challenges from the 44 machine of Fischesser, Owen motored around the top side en route to his second career BOSS win, his first coming at the Lernerville Speedway last July.

The great battles on the speedway weren’t just at the front. Great side by side, three and even four wide duels took place Saturday night. Toledo, Ohio’s Chad Wilson started 13th and battled the cars of Matt Westfall and Carmen Perigo, all three of which are 2017 BOSS Tour members, for the Top 5 all night long.

That now makes 5 different winners in 5 different appearances at the Atomic Speedway forthe Rick’s Truck and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series.

The tour makes its next stop at “The Track That Action Built” at the Fremont Speedway in Fremont, Ohio on Saturday, May 13th.

Opening day for the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint car tour is just 3 days away. The traditional wingless sprint cars will roll into Brad McCown's historic 3/8 mile - high banked Atomic Speedway Saturday night. For the BOSS teams, this is a trip back to where it all began back in 2011, when the track still went by the "K-C Raceway" name. Justin Grant of Ione, California scored the win that July evening kicking off what is now one of the premiere wingless sprint series in the nation.

From humble beginnings in 2011 and 2012, BOSS has grown steadily every year. The last two seasons it has carried the most full time teams of any sprint car traveling series. It appears 2017 will be no exception as eighteen teams and drivers have "thrown their hat in the ring" and will make a bid for the championship title.

Past champions Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana and Mike Miller of Wapakoneta, Ohio will return in search of joining Shawn Westerfeld as repeat titlists. Smith, known as "The Hustlin Hoosier" will once again be in Lou Gagliardi's Dom's Gulf #77. He was the 2012 champion and one year ago scored the win at Pittsburgh's PA Motor Speedway. Miller will be back in his own car #82 in which he scored the 2014 championship title.

Also returning to the title chase are two of the longest continually running teams on tour. Aaron "Mid Air" Middaugh of Polk, Ohio will return in the Shakely Mechanical #91x. Middaugh remains the only driver to attend every BOSS sanctioned event ever held. Michael Fischesser of Cincinnati, Ohio is back, but some new looks with a new #44 in honor of the late Greg Staab. Known as the "Nati Nightmare", Fischesser was one of the drivers in the inaugural BOSS race at Atomic in 2011. Fischesser will also have alongside, teammate "The Juice" Justin Owen from Harrison, Ohio who will be in his 3rd season of competition with the series.

Another returning star with a long BOSS resume and a new look in 2017 is the "Tall Cool One" Chad Wilson of Toledo, Ohio. Chad will be back in his own car #14. A trio of Pennsylvania drivers will represent the Keystone state. Bob "The Honey Bear" McMillin will be in the McMillin Apiaries #5 out of Wampum. Also from Wampum will be "Machine Gun" Joe Butera who will be back in car #3. Both Wampum drivers will be starting their 4th BOSS tours and fellow PA driver Andy Feil, known as the "New Castle Night Crawler" from New Castle, PA will be in his sophomore season.

Also returning for his 4th season on the tour is Steve Little of Waynesfield, Ohio. Better known as "The Quiet Riot", Little looks to make some noise in car #53. Entering his 3rd full tour of BOSS is "The Monroe Madman" Cody Gardner from Monroe, Ohio. Looking to avenge a terrible start one year ago, Gardner will be back in his own #9, a number in honor of his grandfather - former Lawrenceburg Speedway champion Gus Gardner.

Although they fell off the tour early one year ago, Kirk Jeffries and Riley VanHise will return to full time status. Jeffries of Westerville, Ohio will be in the Make-It-Fit Foundation #59J. The foundation works closely with autism and autism awareness. VanHise, from Covington, Ohio, had his season cut short last year by engine woes. He returns this year with a new Triple X chassis sporting some new colors.

Finally, new to the tour for this year are #21 Carmen Perigo from Stoystown, Pennsylvania, #19 Matt Cooley from Greenville, Ohio, #54 Matt Westfall from Ludlow Falls, Ohio, #87 Paul Dues from Minster, Ohio and #44L Buddy Lowther from Cincinnati, Ohio. Based on years of experience and number of BOSS events run, only Dues and Cooley will be eligible for the 2017 Superior Bearing "Rookie of the Year" award. Westfall already has a BOSS win on his resume at Waynesfield Raceway Park and Perigo came very close to winning at Lernerville Speedway just last summer.

The Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series would not be possible without the help of the many fine sponsors listed below. Please take a moment to thank them. Their contributions are what helps keep all these wheels turning each and every Saturday night!

Title Sponsor:

Rick's Trucks & Eqipment ; Kenton, Ohio

Heat race pay is provided by the following sponsors:

Heat #1: DRC Chassis of Indianapolis, IN

Heat #2: Lias Tire / American Racer

Heat #3: Hoosier Race Tires

Heat #4: TCB Speed Equipment

Bonus Awards Provided by the following sponsors:

Hard Charger Award $50 - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, Ohio

Hard Luck Award $50 - J F Construction ; Bucyrus, Ohio

Steel Block Award $50 - Cowen Truck Lines ; Perrysville, Ohio

Perseverance Award $50 - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, Ohio

Lucky Pill Draw Award $50 - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, Ohio

Sweet Move of the race $25 - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, Pennsylvania

Special thanks to additional sponsors who help provide the top 15 points teams tow money which include:

The Blue Room Restaurant ; Kirby, Ohio

Cooley Cabinets ; Greenville, Ohio

Griff's Racing Engines ; Sandusky, Ohio

FAST Signs ; Dayton, Ohio

Southeast Harley Davidson ; Cleveland, Ohio

Superior Bearing & Supply ; Bradenton, Florida

The Rick's Trucks and Equipment - Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series (BOSS) is set to kick off its 2017 tour this Saturday, April 22nd at the Atomic Speedway just south of Chillicothe, Ohio. This will mark the seventh season of competition for the traditional wingless sprint car series that lays claim to being the last true "outlaw" sprint car series.

Founded in 2011, the tour did not see its first repeat champion until last season when the "Guilford Gasser" Shawn Westerfeld of Guilford, Indiana scored his second consecutive title. However, for 2017, the Hoosier hot shoe has elected to pick and choose his events and does not plan to defend the crown.

This opens the door for a whole host of potential new champions. But two past titlists are already gearing up to attempt to join Westerfeld in the history books as a repeat champ. The inaugural points champion, "The Hustlin Hoosier" Dustin Smith of Russiaville, Indiana and 2014 champ Mike "The Magic Man" Miller of Wapakoneta, Ohio both will return.

On Wednesday, watch for the full release of 18 drivers who have committed to the full 2017 title chase. A points payout of $15,000 in cash and prizes awaits the top 15 in year in points, mostly provided by title sponsor Rick's Trucks and Equipment of Kenton, Ohio.

Opening night at Atomic Speedway promises to be a thrilling event. In total, four races have been contested to date on the fast, high banked 3/8 mile dirt track with 2 of those 4 being some of the most exciting finishes in the track's 65 year history. Past winners at Atomic includes California natives Justin Grant and Kody Swanson, Atomic's own local favorite Todd Kane and defending champion Westerfeld who won the last event there back in September.

This Saturday at Atomic, pit gates will be open for teams all day but the pit area will be cleared and officially opened at 2 pm. General admission gates will open at 4. As always, there are no membership or entry fees at all with BOSS. Mufflers are not required for this event. Methanol is available for sale at the track. Also, TCB Speed will have the official BOSS parts trailer on site. Pill draw for registration will close at 6 pm with hot laps immediately following. Pit passes are $35 for this event but there will be no transponder fee.

CHILLICOTHE, OHIO – Indiana based ISC Sports Network and the Ohio based Rick’s Truck and Equipment Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series today announced a partnership that brings each of the 19 BOSS Sprint Car events to the ISC Sports Network.

The ISC Sports Network features select state wide programming from several different sources around the Hoosier state. All 19 BOSS races will be aired the following Monday morning after a race weekend. Races are also available to watch on demand online at ISCSportsNetwork.com or by downloading the ISC Sports Network app, which is now available on Apple and Android.

Founded in 2011 by Aaron Fry, the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series, now backed by Ohio based trucking company Rick’s Truck and Equipment, aimed to be the last true outlaws of racing. The series utilizes 410 non wing traditional sprint cars at each and every event. The 2017 season features 19 races in 3 different states, Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Now, with the partnership between ISC Sports Network and the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series race fans from around the world can watch BOSS action on their phone, laptop or from the comfort of their home on TV for race fans in Indiana.

The ISC Sports Network partnership enables the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series to expand its media footprint and allow more exposure of the series to racing fans around the world.

BOSS Series Founder/Owner Aaron Fry is excited about the partnership “In the short history of the BOSS series, we have developed a competitive series with big car counts. I’m excited that we can now share this with a much bigger audience world wide”

All 19 BOSS events will feature a true television production from Southeastern Indiana based ETC Sports producing the content and BOSS Series Announcer Ryan Kent Jr. as the television voice of the series as well.

Racing programming will feature the entire Rick’s Truck and Equipment BOSS night of action. From Pre-Race interviews to Heat Race action through the A-Main the production by ETC Sports will draw fans closer to the nightly BOSS action, even if they were there in person just days prior.

Along with full program video being available to fans the Monday morning after the events, fans can now watch A-Main highlights on the BOSS YouTube page along with other driver based content about the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series.

“This exciting opportunity is a step in the right direction for everyone involved” said BOSS Series Owner/Founder Aaron Fry “The BOSS tour has been built with the help of many fine sponsors and race teams. This will give them much needed exposure and reward them as well as helping the tour to grow as well.”

BOSS Gears Up for 2017 With Strong Bonus Program

With just 4 weeks until the first green flag flies, the Rick's Trucks and Equipment BOSS tour is gearing up for its biggest and best season to date. With the full time drivers list approaching the 20 team mark and the addition of full time race announcer, Ryan Kent Jr., 2017 appears to have the necessary ingredients to be a banner season. The success and growth of the series would not be happening without the help of our marketing partners who provide all of the bonus awards and incentives that keep these teams on the road week after week.

Rick's Trucks and Equipment of Kenton, Ohio remains the title sponsor helping to provide a points fund totaling nearly $15,000 in cash and awards to the top 15 finishers in the season long standings. Once again, a $3,000 check plus contingencies await the overall points champion.

Standard BOSS events will continue to pay the following feature purse: 1) 1,500 2) 900 3) 700 4) 600 5) 500 6) 450 7) 400 8) 375 9) 350 10) 325 11) 300 12) 290 13) 280 14) 270 15) 260 16) 250 with $250 to start all main events. BOSS will start 20 cars in all main events with car counts at 29 or less. When the car count in attendance is between 30 and 39 cars, the starting field will be increased to 22. If the number of cars entered is 40 or more, then 24 cars will run the main event. There will still be $100 tow money to awarded to all competing cars who fail to make the main event.

For full time BOSS teams, the top 15 in points will be guaranteed $300 to start every main event and $150 tow money to non starters. Bonus eligibility for the first 3 events ( April 22, May 13 and May 20) will be based off of the final 2016 standings. Beginning with event #4, the top 15 teams in the 2017 current standings will be in the bonus money. With more than 15 teams committing to the full schedule, BOSS is happy to announce that we will pay the bonus to ALL teams with perfect attendance starting at the 4th event.

As always, BOSS is proud to have the continued support of both Hoosier Race Tires and American Racer Tires. The increasingly popular "open tire rule" is still the staple of the BOSS program. With the open tire rule, lack of a weight rule, and NEVER any "membership" or "entry" fees, the Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series IS THE last true OUTLAW sprint car series. BOSS takes pride in not restricting teams from running when and where they please.

The full time teams stay loyal to BOSS primarily because of all the great marketing partners who supply heat race money, bonus money and many other perks along the trail. Heat races will once again pay cash to the top 4 finishers it $40, 30, 20 and 10 respectively. There will also be five (5) bonus awards of $50 cash each and another at $25. Also, the highest finishing driver on each brand of tire (all 4 corners) will be awarded a free tire from the respective manufacturer. The following is a complete list of our 2017 contributors:

Title Sponsor - Rick's Trucks & Equipment ; Kenton, OH

Heat Race #1 - DRC Chassis ; Indianapolis, IN

Heat Race #2 - Lias Tire / American Racer ; Indiana, PA

Heat Race #3 - Hoosier Racing Tire ; Lakeville, IN

Heat Race #4 - TCB Speed ; Pendleton, IN

Hard Charger Award - The Bridge Restaurant ; Sidney, OH

Hard Luck Award - J.F. Construction ; Bucyrus, OH

Lucky Pill Draw Award - Apple Metal Polishing ; Eldorodo, OH

Perseverance Award - All Pro Cylinder Heads ; Johnstown, OH

Steel Block Award - Cowen Truck Line ; Perrysville, OH

Sweet Move Award - McMillin Apiaries ; Wampum, PA

Other sponsors include The Blue Room restaurant in Kirby, Ohio who will provide the ever popular "free drink" cooler. Cooley Cabinets of Greenville, Ohio is on board to provide fans a look back into the past every Tuesday on facebook with "Turnback Tuesday". Superior Bearing & Supply of Bradenton, Florida is back to sponsor the 2017 BOSS Rookie of the Year award. Other contributors include: Southeast Harley Davidson of Cleveland, FAST Signs of Dayton, Griff's Engines of Sandusky, Diversified Machine Inc (DMI), and TRL Driving Suits.

The 2017 season gets underway at Atomic Speedway on Saturday, April 22nd and concludes at Fremont Speedway with the Mike Hensel Memorial on Saturday, September 30th. Along the way, BOSS teams will compete for a record amount in purses with two $5,000 to win races at Fremont Speedway's "Hensel Memorial"

The complete 2017 BOSS drivers list will be announced in the next few weeks. For more information, be sure to follow the BOSS series on facebook or log on to www.buckeyesprints.com. Information can also be obtained by e-mailing sprinter14@hotmail.com or phone 740-703-3768.

With race season just around the corner, BOSS / Cooley Cabinet "Turnback Tuesday" will now be dedicated to the BOSS facebook page only - to see this week's forgotten Ohio track of the week, Torch Speedway, please follow our updates throughout the day here .....

This week's Cooley Cabinet - Turnback Tuesday "Track of the Week" is the Cincinnati - Hamilton Speedway which was located just east of Fairfield, Ohio along Dixie Highway. To see more about this track and other posts about Ohio's racing past, be sure to "like" the BOSS facebook page!

Cincinnati - Hamilton Speedway was a high banked 1/2 mile dirt oval that opened on Sunday, May 26th, 1929 with a seven event program for "big cars" or sprint cars by today's standards. It was advertised as the "highest banked track in Ohio" at the time. An odd fact about this track is that it claimed it's first driver fatality the year BEFORE it opened. The track was built late in 1928 and 20 year old local racer Sherman Bruck was killed in a September practice crash. The only other known fatality was 30 year old Wilbert Chaney who died testing his roadster in July of 1929. Ironically, Chaney was just the car owner and Henry Schlosser, his winning driver, had just gotten out of the car and Chaney was traveling at a far less speed than Schlosser had just been running but apparently a wheel broke causing the crash.

In 1939, a quarter mile midget track was built inside the half mile. Frank Funk, who was most famous for owning and/or promoting Winchester, Dayton, Jungle Park and many others, also promoted Cincinnati - Hamilton for a while. The track closed down for World War II at the end of the 1941 season. Like many tracks, it would never reopen once racing resumed in 1945. A drive-in theater was built on the site in the 50's and it remained until the late 1990's. Today, one would be hard pressed to even prove to the locals that a high speed half mile once occupied the site.

photo 3: The track is drawn in on this 2016 aerial photo from Google Earth.

Remember to follow us on facebook to see lots more!

This week's "Turnback" track of the week is the Powell Speedway

Powell Speedway was located on what was once the Delaware County Fairgrounds through 1937. The half mile horse track hosted auto races from 1939 until 1941 and the U.S. entry into WWII. Chuck Murphy returned from the war and along with his father, they cleaned up the property and built the banked 1/2 mile Powell Speedway which actually ran the opposite direction of the old fairground half mile. Opening day was June 30, 1946. In the 50's, a 1/4 mile oval was added in the infield and both tracks spent time as paved and dirt ovals. The 1965 season was the end of racing at Powell but amazingly, the track remained for the next 35 years with some of the remaining fairground buildings still being used. In 2001, a housing development was built on the site.

photo 1: A 1947 CSRA sprint car event program from Powell Speedway

photo 2: An aerial photo of Powell as of 1989

photo 3: A modern aerial of Powell with the old half mile drawn in for reference

photo 4: Mike Salay at Powell in the late 40's - the grandstand visible in the background

Be sure to like the BOSS series on Facebook to see much more!

This week's forgotten track of the week is R & R Speedway in Zanesville, Ohio

R & R Speedway was built and promoted by Robert "Punk" Graves and opened for Sunday afternoon racing in 1988 officially called R & R Motor Speedway. The track was listed as 3/8 mile but was closer to 1/4 mile. The name was quickly shortened to just R & R Speedway and racing action switched to Friday nights after lights were installed. Late models were the staple attraction through the years along with standard stock car support classes. However, in 1995, Graves tried winged 410 sprint cars and the first race was won by Australian native and World of Outlaw sprint car driver Kerry Madsen on Sunday, May 28, 1995. Our very own Rusty McClure of BOSS ran second to Madsen in that race! Sprint cars ran there weekly for most of the '95 season but car counts were not steady enough to keep them on board. By 1999, things were going downhill. The track opened for its first 2 events of the season, then shut down. The last known event was won by Scott Peltz on May 7, 1999. Jay Cline (father of racer D.J. Cline) leased the track and planned to open in mid June as the "New R & R Speedway" but no race results were ever published. The track lay waiting from '99 until 2014 waiting on a re-opening that would never come. In 2014, the track was leveled and very little evidence remains there was ever a track there.

The photos attached were from my visit there in 2004 while the aerial photo is from 2012.

To see this and more on R & R and other vintage racing posts, please check out Cooley Cabinets - Turnback Tuesday on the BOSS facebook page.

It's time for another edition of BOSS "Turnback Tuesday"

Brought to you by Cooley Cabinets of Greenville, Ohio

This week's track of the week is the McCutchenville Speedway which may hold the record for the most different names a track raced under in a very few years. Built by Neil "Toby" Zeigler, the track was listed as a 3/8 mile oval and was originally called Mohawk Speedway. Located on Rt 53 west of Tiffin, the track opened on July 18th, 1971 with a late model program won by Art Ball. In 1973, Bruce Keisling leased the facility from Zeigler and renamed it Mid-America Raceway Park. In 1974, Leroy Davidson took over the lease and called it Mid-America Speedway. Late in 1974, Joe and Dot Kulcsar of Fremont Speedway fame came in and gave the track its best shot. They operated the track as Mid America Speedway until 1982 when they changed the name to Riverside Speedway. Sprint car driver Rick Ferkel and Paul Morgan operated the track in 1983 calling it Quad City Speedway. After sitting dormant for a few years, Bob Raubenolt reopened the facility under the name O.K. Corral Speedway and ran in 1986 and 1987. In 1988, a gentleman from New York named Ray Plakstis bought it and renamed it McCutchenville Speedway USA, but never ran a race.

Today, the track remains complete. The grandstands and flag stand are getting dangerous. But the guardrail and some fencing still looks pretty good. The water truck and some other equipment still lie in waiting for a race that will never come. Several new houses have been built nearby and the pit area could not hold today's race rigs. Mohawk (or whatever you choose to call it) was built for an era when the cars were towed on single axle open trailers or on the back of trucks. What could hold 60 race cars in 1971 can't hold 25 cars in 2017.

Don't forget, there is more to see on the BOSS facebook page all day long!

photo 1: The first ever ad for Mohawk to appear in a 1971 issue of Mid American Auto Racing News

photo 2: Opening day winner Art Ball of Tiffin, Ohio

photo 3: An aerial view of the property in 2012

photo 4: A view from today looking toward turn 1

photo 5: A view from today looking toward turn 4

It's Time for Cooley Cabinets - Turnback Tuesday! Special thanks to Mark and Matt Cooley for sponsoring this look back into history and remember, there is always more posted on the BOSS facebook page.

This week's buckeye state - forgotten "track of the week' is the Glen Este Speedway near Cincinnati, Ohio.

Opened in 1950, Glen Este went by several similar names such as Glen Este Speedbowl and Glen Este Race Bowl. In 1965 it was purchased by Francis Rapp of Amelia, Ohio and renamed Greater Cincinnati Race Bowl. Some of the consistent winners over the years included Ralph Latham, Billy Teegarden, and Ross Smith. The final auto races were run around 1972 but motorcycle racing continued for another few years at the site. Today, little league baseball fields sit on the site.

Photo 1: This aerial view of the Glen Este 1/4 mile oval is from 1966. Yes, that's a figure eight track crossing in the infield.

Photo 2: From that opening season of 1950, here's the flagman at Glen Este on the track which was typical in the day. One scorer with the flagman and you can see some spectators back hiding in the trees!

Photo 3: Car #9 tries to make
4
it wide at Glen Este. Who is the bravest? The driver of car #55 or the fans in the background!

Turnback Tuesday "10 Years Ago" - A very young Stratton Briggs in victory lane at the 2007 Buckeye Bowl indoor event at the Ohio State Fairgrounds. Stratton was the 2016 BOSS Rookie of the Year!

It's time for another Cooley Cabinets - Turnback Tuesday! This week, in addition to a "track of the week" we will also be posting some looks back at the Ohio racing scene 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 years ago on the BOS Facebook page. Be sure to thank Mark and Matt Cooley of Greenville, Ohio if you enjoy the historical articles!

This week's "Track of the Week" is the nearly forgotten Highpoint Speedway near Cincinnati, Ohio. Highpoint operated from 1949 to 1951 and perhaps longer. The only photos uncovered so far are from 1951. This is the first photos ever published online of Highpoint and they come from the Jim Richmond family. Highpoint was located in the village by that name just north of Cincinnati near the 275 / 71 intersection.

For more TBT - please follow the BOSS series on facebook!

BOSS names Ryan Kent Jr. as "Voice of the Tour"

The Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint car tour is excited to announce the addition of a full time series announcer for 2017. For the first six seasons, tour owner Aaron Fry and his daughter, Elizabeth Fry have handled nearly every aspect of running the series. With the fast growth and the most full time race teams of any sprint series in the nation, it has become imperative that extra help was needed.

During the final three events of 2016, fans may have heard a new voice along with the regular race track announcers. The new voice was that of 17 year old Ryan Kent Jr. who is in his senior year at Greensburg Community High School in Greensburg, Indiana. Kent entered broadcasting at a very young age, already having three and a half years of experience in over 400 sporting events. Having grown up at the Indy 500 and being an Indiana native, it's only natural that wingless traditional sprint car racing would become a favorite for him.

Ryan is excited about the new opportunity to become the first ever "voice" of the BOSS tour, saying "The opportunity to be able to take my love for broadcasting and my love for racing and put them together, is something I've always wanted to do." He also added, "Thankfully I've had the opportunity the last few years on both TV and in the tower at Lawrenceburg Speedway, to learn from some of the best in the business."

This new position will relieve some pressure on tour owner Aaron Fry. He's hopeful for more opportunities to be available to sponsors, race teams and even race fans throughout the events. "It's all been a lot to handle for myself and my daughter. From the time the gates opened until the payoff at the end of the night, we were constantly handling the running of the night's events and making sure we were in the score tower to assist track personnel. With Ryan in the tower, we know we have a fantastic BOSS representative in there and we can begin to grow the series in other ways" said Fry.

Race teams will now see Aaron and Elizabeth a lot more through the running of the race events. The fans will now get a double dose of racing excitement with their home track announcer and Ryan Kent bringing the BOSS tour flavor to the microphone. Look for more fan interaction than ever before with BOSS, it's employees and racers.

Kent also expressed his gratitude to Lawrenceburg Speedway promoters, Dave and Kim Rudisell, who gave him his first opportunity in auto racing saying, "for that, I am forever grateful!" With the 2017 opener now just 13 weeks away, he added "I cannot wait to get to Atomic!".

Watch for more exciting BOSS news in the coming weeks as we announce another new staff position, new tour sponsors and soon we will begin announcing the stars who will be on tour full time in 2017!

The ALL NEW - Cooley Cabinet "Turnback Tuesday"

Today's story features the story and remains of the Greenville Motor Speedway in Greenville, Ohio. This legendary half mile oval first opened on July 4th, 1930. It was one of the most important tracks in Ohio's formative years of auto racing. The track closed at the end of the 1952 season. Everyone we have encountered has said that "nothing remains" of Greenville today. Today's Turnback Tuesday proves that a lot remains of Greenville. Some of the modern photos are from our visit in 2004 and we have a video shot just last week on January 12th, 2017. If you want to see a lot more of this track and story, please follow the BOSS series on facebook at the link below.

Photo 1: This aerial photo from google earth shows Greenville Speedway's ghostly remains just south of the old abandoned drive-in theater. The front stretch was the west side of the 1/2 mile oval.

Photo 2: An action photo from the 40's of Greenville Motor Speedway.

Photo 3: The front stretch concrete wall still stands and on the ground is the remains of the collapsed grandstand. We were literally walking on the metal roof which is now on the ground.

Photo 4: Even the ticket booths remain. This photo was taken in 2004. In our visit last week, we discovered that they have started to collapse. Join us on facebook to see more than a dozen additional photos and stories.

2017 BOSS Schedule Release

The Buckeye Outlaw Sprint Series is excited to announce the 2017 tour dates for the "Last True Outlaws" of auto racing. The upcoming season will mark the sixth full seasonal tour for the Ohio based traditional wingless sprint tour that was established and opened in 2011.

Rick's Trucks and Equipment of Kenton, Ohio has proudly returned as the title sponsor. DRC Chassis Company of Indiana has joined the tour as the new sponsor of the first heat race at each event. Cooley Cabinets of Greenville, Ohio is also new to the BOSS marketing family, now presenting the increasingly popular historical posts that have moved from Thursday's to the all new "Turnback Tuesday". Every Tuesday, great racing history from the BOSS territory is brought back into the spotlight on the website and on the series facebook page.

Known throughout the Midwest as the fastest growing touring sprint car series, the BOSS schedule will grow from only one big money event in 2016 to an all time high of four higher paying shows in 2017. The annual Mike Hensel Memorial returns paying $5,000 to win at Fremont Speedway on September 30th. Joining Fremont on that level will be the soon-to-be converted Mansfield Motorsports Park which will host the tour for a 2 day event on Friday and Saturday, August 11-12. The event will be the all new "Great Lakes Dirt Nationals". The Friday show will be a complete standard BOSS program with Saturday paying $5,000 to win.

Perhaps the biggest off season news was the announcement of the pairing of BOSS with Waynesfield Raceway Park to sanction the prestigious "Jack Hewitt Classic" on Saturday, August 5th paying $3,000 to win. An added payoff also awaits the traveling tour teams on Friday and Saturday, August 25-26 when they invade the Atomic Speedway for the "Open Wheel Championship" also paying $3,000 to win on Saturday night.

Almost all of the fan favorite facilities return to the schedule including a return to Portsmouth Raceway Park, Limaland Motorsports Park, Lawrenceburg Speedway, Montpelier Motor Speedway, Mercer Raceway Park, Lernerville Speedway, and Pittsburgh's Pennsylvania Motor Speedway. Returning to the schedule after a 2 year absence is the Route 44 Speedway (formerly Whitewater) in Liberty, Indiana. With the overwhelming success of the first event there, this race on Friday, July 28th should be another "can't miss" event.

Other exciting events dotting the 2017 tour include the "Jason Soudrette Memorial" on Saturday, July 29th at Lawrenceburg Speedway.Also, the annual "Dick Spencer Memorial" will be staged on Saturday, July 8th at Waynesfield Raceway Park.

While the four added money events will see special formats, the standard show format of pill draw heat races will remain the same. All of the key programs the fans and teams have come to love will also remain in place including the "open" tire rule, traveling bonus money for the top 15 in tour points, heat race payouts and bonus award payouts. A big "thank you" is extended to Hoosier Racing Tire and American Racer Tires for their continued support of the open tire concept.

In addition, the BOSS rules will once again allow teams to choose their own safety initiatives. As in the past, BOSS has chosen NOT to REQUIRE full containment seats, head and neck restraints, or roll cage halos. Although this decision cost us one event in 2017, we feel it is our job to provide a safe racing environment along with excellent insurance and more than adequate rescue and emergency personnel. It is NOT our position to REQUIRE items that many in our industry still see as a potential threat to driver safety. At this level of professional competition, we assert that driver safety is up to each individual team and driver.

BOSS plans to take a serious approach to safety. In 2015, the series was the first in the country to implement random drug testing at every event on the schedule. Random testing will continue this season. In addition, a new "safety advisor" will be working alongside teams at our events to inspect cars and discuss safety and address concerns. This will be especially beneficial to the lesser experienced race teams.

The entire confirmed schedule is listed below. There is one more track that could be added to the BOSS schedule but it would be a Saturday, stand alone, show and will be announced very soon. Watch for many more exciting announcements coming soon! Make plans to attend the tour opener on Saturday, April 22nd at Atomic Speedway near Chillicothe, Ohio. Best wishes to all for a safe and successful 2017 racing season.

The 2016 season awards banquet for the Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint series will be held on Saturday, November 12th. Doors will open at 5 pm with dinner served at 7. This year, the host site is The Bridge Restaurant of Sidney, Ohio who also happens to be the sponsor of the "Hard Charger" award on the tour. Following dinner, awards will be presented to the top 15 in the final point standings. Tickets for the banquet are $25 per adult and $10 for children under 12. Please mail checks for banquet tickets to: BOSS ; 2177 Lunbeck Rd ; Chillicothe, OH 45601. Also, the official host hotel is the Sidney Days Inn where rooms are just $59 per night. Be sure to ask for the BOSS racer's banquet rate. Phone 937-492-1131 to make a reservation. There will be a shuttle service to get to and from the hotel.

DRC Chassis of Indy Joins BOSS for 2017

The Rick's Trucks & Equipment BOSS sprint car series is proud to announce a new heat race sponsor for the 2017 season. DRC Chassis manufacturer from Indianapolis has joined the BOSS family. They have been building winning race cars since 2002. To learn more about DRC, visit their website at www.drcchassisindy.com or phone 317-481-1626. A big thank you to Joe and all of the staff at DRC for your support!